Satsukibare: The Unseen Side of the Moon
by Nefertili
Summary: IMOTC's sequel. The West is being threatened by an enemy who is after an enigmatic relic left behind by its present Lord's mother. Will Sesshoumaru be able to protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, from the danger they now face? SessKik.
1. Prologue: Early Dusk

**FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:  
This story was written and finished long before manga chapters 466 onwards are released; therefore, I invented my own character to play Sesshoumaru's mother. Whatever parallelisms that have come out between her and Sesshoumaru's canon mother are not intentional,for I used my own creative license to create my own rendition of their family's past.**

* * *

**Prologue: Early Dusk**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **Alright, I finally decided to start IMotC's sequel! I know many of you are anticipating this, but forgive me if it would take _ages_ for me to update because I am kinda undergoing a difficult time in my life, both academically and emotionally. Anyway, this prologue is set centuries before the start of the series itself, so don't be confused!

...o0o...

_A shard of the moon_

_O'er mist coming and going,_

_A jewel of doom_

_O'er water still, unmoving,_

_O'er depths endless, awaiting..._

Dusk is drawing nigh in the Western Lands. The bright halo of the sun is just touching the tip of the horizon, casting dark shadows on the old forest blanketing the section of the lands. But within this forest lurked a shadow far deeper and darker than the shade among the treetops...

An ever so slight whistling of the thick air in the forest floor made the drooping leaves rustle in their boughs. Ordinary eyes would not have seen it, but this seemingly weak gust of wind was in fact a woman, a beautiful she-youkai running with almost the speed of light.

Her long black-violet hair streamed out from behind her as she ran, exposing the mark of a Prussian blue crescent moon and magenta stripes on her forehead. Her eyes, gray as a winter sky, had on a look of determination that finely contrasted her beautiful features. One of her long-fingered hands clutched at her side, staining her pale skin with the same blot of crimson that dripped from her robes, falling like drops of rain on the tree roots as she passed.

Still keeping an impassive expression amidst the excruciating pain of her wound, the woman kept her eyes steadily alert. Just then, she muttered some mysterious words to herself.

"...Now, only he can unleash its true power..."

Her whispered words were drowned by the soul-shattering shrieks that rose up from behind her. The Demon Lady's deep gray orbs narrowed slightly to hear her pursuers closing in on her. In spite of her powers, which by then were among the most respected and greatest in the West, they had managed to wound her mortally. She could no longer maintain her lightning speed as her life began to ebb in slow, tortuous trickles.

A tree was felled, sending a tremor through the forest floor. The Demoness automatically took off, but it did not take long for another of the age-old giants to collapse to the ground, the shuddering of the land causing her to slow herself. Just then, her pursuers began to emerge from the trees. At first glance they resembled human warriors, but their blank, heartless stares and hellish cries proved that they were something else.

The Demon Lady stopped completely in her tracks as a couple of the unnamed creatures leaped on her path and pointed their spiked bamboo spears at her. The most massive of them proudly brandished his weapon that had a bloodstained tip; clearly, he was the one who managed to draw blood from the Demoness.

"Hand it over to us, Lady, and we'll spare your life," he sneered, exposing yellowish uneven teeth in a crooked grin.

She, however, stood steadily and kept her steely gaze as she imperiously raised one of her hands, exposing sharp magenta stripes snaking her wrist. Though she was in pain, the beautiful Demoness looked extremely forbidding; the lesser humanlike entities could not help but draw back slightly at her gesture of power.

"You presume too much," she said in a little more than a whisper, "to think that I will give it to you." Her hand began to glow a poisonous green, a neon whip, bright and hot with its toxic spell, emerged from her fingers. With deadly grace, the Demon Lady swung her arm and sent a wide radius of her enemies up in the air, where they were torn to pieces even before they landed on the soil.

With enraged shrieks, the evil minions rushed at her from all directions, the sharp points of their weapons aimed at her. Effortlessly, the Demoness held out her other hand to conjure another whip from her slender fingers and with her double _Dokkasou_, she decimated the rest of the entities.

The pupils of her eyes contracted further, and she bent almost double as a fresh wave of pain and exhaustion coursed through her body. Several drops of blood escaped her lips as she clutched further at the wound, worsening on her abdomen. That was extremely cunning of him, to catch her unawares; but it was a cowardly thing to do, to send out minions instead of facing her himself...

"You were no less powerful since the last time our powers clashed, I am impressed," a voice of cold malice said, making the woman look up. She resumed the passive glaze of her face as she brushed away the side locks on the left side of her head away from her flushed face. Like the regal lady that she was, she straightened herself and met ice-blue eyes squarely with her gray orbs from a distance, silent yet knowing.

"The light of the moon is fading from your life." A willowy demon, clad in robes of a pattern of mottled bamboo, stepped out of the trees' shadows with a twisted grin on his slender face. Yellow-green hair slightly covered one side of that evil face, but above all else, most of his locks were pulled back in a low ponytail. "You have but one thing to do: reveal to me where you have kept it!"

"Karatake," the lady said in her composed voice, "you have failed once in your attempt to defile the Waters with your minions, and you have failed yet again. It has been kept in a place where only the worthy would find it, and none of those who wish to mar my blood shall get hold of it...even you."

The demon called Karatake apparently didn't share the other youkai's patience, for his icy oculars immediately narrowed in irritation at her taunt, and his hand tightened its grip on a sharpened bamboo spear similar to that of his minions. Only, the bamboo's wood was made to be as tough as steel, and could easily pierce through tough hide.

"I have no time to play games with you," he hissed, and he immediately leaped up in the air with his spear raised, ready to slit the beautiful demoness on the throat. "And if you have nothing further to say, I see no reason to allow you to draw breath still!"

A deadly whirlwind swept through the forest as Karatake engaged in a furious, bloody battle with the she-youkai, his attacks dodging her whips as she struggled to defend herself with the little strength she had. She fought a noble fight, though in vain it was.

Eventually, they swept clear of the forest, to continue the final lap of their battle on the unforgiving ground of the rocky wasteland beyond. The uneven, dusky obsidian crumbled beneath the energies of the two youkai as they flew across harsh crags and claw-like rises, but it was evident that the battle will end soon. Gushes of blood already flowed from the lady's side, and her breathing became shallower with the passage of each second.

Eventually, they reached the highest and most forbidding point of the region: Minetetsu, the Peak of Iron. At its base, the demoness alighted in an attempt to recover her failing strength, only to have Karatake dash at her, his spear targeted at her heart. She instinctively held up her hands and got hold of the spear near its sharpened tip before it could strike her. Ordinarily, she would have melted it with her poison, but it would deplete her strength further; she couldn't hold him back for long. She was dying, and only sheer will enabled her to go through to the end. She'd better use something beyond the Toxic Flower Claw...

"Die a miserable death, _fool!"_ Karatake bellowed as he gathered his strength behind his hands to finally end the demoness' struggle, but his frosty eyes widened in shock as the Prussian blue moon on her forehead began to glow in the verge of her final attack. A strong ribbon of wind, silvery with a sealing spell, enveloped Karatake and bound him to the cold stone of the Minetetsu, transforming his demon-body to become one with the dark metal for many hundreds of years.

But he put forth his efforts to annihilate his adversary before she sealed him, and he caused a breath of flame to escape from his mouth to loosen her grasp on his bamboo spear, whilst thrusting it clean through one of her lungs. Her equally shocked eyes began to turn glassy as her body fell backwards down into the rough crags below, the yellow flames engulfing her flowing locks and silken robes, her milky skin turning into charred ash.

Her final thoughts returned to someone far younger than her, someone who alone could enable the passing on of her bloodline...someone she loved dearly and had given the task that would fully end the battle centuries later.

"My beloved son, remember me...remember the rhyme..."

The final scarlet rays of the sun vanished from the western horizon, deepening the shadows that have settled on the broken shards of rock and blood.

...o0o...

It's kinda violent for a start, I know, but please bear with me. It took me about a month to write this whole thing out, with all the academic pressure. Please be patient if I only get to update twice a month or even monthly...I really do want to start this fic, you know.


	2. Chapter 1: A Paradise Disturbed

**I: A Paradise Disturbed**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N:** See how busy I am? I really want to update, people, but my schedule sometimes goes against my intentions. I am glad some of you got the gist on who the Demon Lady is, so let's get back to the present and see how Kiky and Sesshy are going, shall we?

...o0o...

The soft pitter-patter of rain ceased, rousing Kikyou from her deep sleep. To ears which had gotten accustomed to the ceaseless sound of rain falling on leaf and roof for days, a sudden silence in the emerald mountains seemed quite eerie. She gradually regained consciousness, and her line of vision immediately fell on the series of overlapping screens that surrounded their bedchamber.

Her soft mahogany eyes roamed to where the beautiful paper screens parted, offering her a sight of the misty ranges surrounding their home. The weak rays of sunrise were slowly penetrating the landscape, which was still cold in the lingering presence of summer rain. But Kikyou had no worries about keeping herself warm. She smiled to feel his even, comforting breath against her ear and his arms wrapped around her waist in a loving embrace. His furry pelt provided them a most delightful blanket, and Kikyou felt her eyes begging her to return to the realm of dreams.

Out of the blue, a little foot kicked her from within, causing her to be fully awake in an instant. Moving as little as possible, Kikyou ran a delicate hand over her belly, feeling the child within it stir. The bulge on her abdomen was already beginning to show, which was exactly how it should be. After all, it had been four months...

Quietly, the beautiful raven-haired young woman eased herself out of her mate's embrace, not wishing to disturb him from his reverie. She gazed longingly at the face framed by long silvery tresses; the sight of his amber orbs closed in a most peaceful sleep undid her entirely. After a few more moments, she turned away and retrieved a silken robe from where it lay, folded neatly on the floor.

Kikyou cloaked herself in the robe, masking the plainness of her hakama and white blouse with royal bolts of blue silk patterned with purple flowers that carried her name. Thought it still felt strange for her to be clad like a noblewoman – after all, she had been a priestess – she knew that she loved the garment, for he had presented it to her when they first settled in the Lands. She looked extremely beautiful in it, he had told her, and he would have liked to see her wear it often.

Kikyou crawled silently to the screens, the wooden stands inlaid with impressive scrolls of paper painted with a youkai dog howling at a crescent moon. She inched them away to reveal more of the deceptively peaceful landscape. Though the rains had stopped after leaving them cooped up indoors for what seemed like an eternity, no amount of harsh weather could drive away the unnumbered youkai dwelling within the woods. After all, this was the West; this was his realm, his domain...

Humming to herself, she let her luxurious raven locks spill down her shoulders untied as her hands gently caressed her swollen belly. No amount of worldly possessions could equal the gift they had given each other: the gift of a new life. A smile lingered on Kikyou's lips as she recalled the instance four months earlier when she first told Sesshoumaru the wonderful news.

...o0o...

"_Don't breathe a word about it to Sesshoumaru-sama," Kikyou instructed Rin whilst running a motherly hand through her brown hair. "I want to tell it to him personally."_

_Her chocolate brown eyes glimmering with enthusiasm, the little girl nodded with a big grin on her young face. Rin, for one, was extremely excited by the news. She's going to have a younger sibling soon! After all, she looked up to the Demon Lord and the former priestess as her father and mother, and they considered her their adopted daughter._

_Kikyou smiled at Rin's happiness. It eased her heart a bit to think that Rin was not at all jealous of having another youngster around, after all the years of undivided attention. It had been two years since they had first settled in the Western Lands, and they had longed for a child of their own above all things. Now that this dream is coming true, nothing could compare to the joy she felt._

"_Sesshoumaru-sama will surely be overjoyed with this, Kikyou-sama!" Rin said happily._

"_Sesshoumaru-sama will be overjoyed with what?" a familiar croaky voice inquired. Kikyou looked up to see two more presences enter the spacious, sunlit room, and coming behind the stubby form of Jaken was the tall, regal form of her mate, the great youkai Lord Sesshoumaru._

_Sesshoumaru tilted his head slightly to the side, noticing the mischievous smile on his beautiful mate's face and Rin doing her best to hide her giggles beside her. What is going on here? Is there something he didn't know?_

"_You have finally returned; we've been waiting for you," Kikyou said, standing up gracefully to embrace him. Sesshoumaru gladly took her into his arms, and after their brief hug, she looked deeply into his eyes, seemingly trying to tell him something._

"_You know that I don't appreciate guessing games, darling," Sesshoumaru said with jest, cupping her smooth cheek with his hand. "Please, what had transpired here that hadn't reached my knowledge yet?"_

"_Have you no idea?" Kikyou continued to tease him, running her hand through his silken hair. Jaken was trying to get some information out of Rin, but the human girl remained stubbornly firm, refusing to divulge their little surprise._

'_What has _gotten _into you, beloved?' Sesshoumaru thought confusedly to himself. Sure, he had sensed that Kikyou has been feeling rather unwell the past weeks. Many mornings, she would suddenly wake, rushing outside their chamber retching. It even came to a point when she complained of a severe headache and dizziness, and couldn't get out of bed. Sesshoumaru had spent the whole day hovering by Kikyou's side, busying Jaken and Rin with concocting various remedies to ease her queasiness. She recovered indeed, but it took him longer to shake away his sense of dread and worry. _

_She would still be regularly visited by bouts of nausea like a malignant spirit, and Sesshoumaru could not help but be more protective of her. She was unusually choosy about food, too. Kikyou was usually content with whatever they had to offer, sometimes even rejecting the better things for herself. But now, he recalled a time when he sent Jaken away for a good many hours to procure a vegetable which grew deep within the mountains because his mate wanted it at an odd hour._

_Kikyou realized that he was totally clueless of what she was talking about. She silenced herself for a moment and observed Sesshoumaru, who was looking at her with a look of impatience and confusion. Gradually, she inched her face closer to his until they could feel each other's breath clearly. Her mahogany eyes shining gently, she whispered into his ear the words that robbed him of speech and motion for a while._

"_I am with child, my love."_

...o0o...

"You seem deep in thought, my lovely Kikyou," a deep voice floated from behind her, driving her from her musings. No sooner had his voice reached her ears, his arms found their way around her waist and he buried his face within the shadows of her fragrant hair. Kikyou leaned herself against Sesshoumaru, allowing him to caress her belly and feel the little soul living within.

"I thought you were still asleep," Kikyou whispered, obviously enjoying his warm caresses.

"I wakened when you stirred," Sesshoumaru answered in the same whispery tone, his normally expressionless amber eyes glistening with love and devotion. "What were you thinking of all this time?"

"I was just thinking of the past months, darling," she said softly, kissing him tenderly while stroking his cheek with the back of her hand.

Sesshoumaru could not help but smile. To see Kikyou's transformation from a cold priestess to a loving and caring mother touched him completely. She was so different – yet not so – from the Kikyou he had known when Naraku was still alive. Love had changed her so much, and for the better, perhaps...

"Do you feel fine?" he asked her. Since the onset of her pregnancy, Sesshoumaru had taken to keeping a sharp eye on Kikyou to the point that she felt as though she had gained a shadow. Not even his concern during the trying times of Naraku could equal to the protectiveness he was showing her.

"I feel quite okay this morning, really," Kikyou answered, in an attempt to ease his worry. Though her morning sickness came less frequently, there were still times wherein she was suddenly seized by headaches and spells of nausea. She never expected pregnancy to be this difficult, or was her case really different? After all, she carried the child of a taiyoukai in her womb...

Sesshoumaru noticed her thoughtful silence, and he took his time to observe his beloved. Her face was not as flushed as he thought it was, and she seemed to be in quite a good mood. That was a great blessing in itself, for the Demon Lord had to take extra precaution in dealing with his lady when she had her growing mood swings. Kikyou rarely had temper tantrums, but Sesshoumaru found himself walking on eggshells around Kikyou as her mood suddenly shifted from one form to another.

A sudden burst of activity outside their room drove them from their personal musings. Rin's and Jaken's voices rang clear in the early morning air.

"Ah, the rain had finally subsided, thank goodness!" Jaken was exclaiming with relief. "I wouldn't last another day cooped up in here!"

"Shush, Jaken-sama!" the little girl muttered. "You're going to waken Sesshoumaru-sama and Kikyou-sama with your voice!"

"We are already awake," Kikyou called out from the inside, gently slipping herself from her lord's arms to walk out to the verandah outside. "You need not worry about disturbing us."

Rin's lips broke into a childlike smile and ran to embrace the former priestess. Kikyou gathered the little girl in her arms, her voluminous sleeves drawn over most her small body. Sesshoumaru, who had followed Kikyou out of the room, could not help but be imagine how delighted she would be once their first child was born.

Out of a sudden, an unexplainable feeling of alarm spread through his senses. Sesshoumaru frowned slightly before he resumed his usual neutral gaze to hide his worry from his companions. What is happening to him? It was as though a familiar, yet not so familiar, voice was calling to him in his mind. A voice...the voice of a woman.

"Would you like to take a walk in the forest, Rin?" Kikyou's own voice barely penetrated his pointed ears. "Just the two of us; after all, the rain had gone..."

"Yes, yes, Kikyou-sama!" Rin replied enthusiastically. "Rin will surely come!"

"I am not sure this is advisable for you, Kikyou," Sesshoumaru said, breaking his silence. He had her best intentions at heart, but he understood that she had grown frustrated at the inactivity the weather placed upon them.

Kikyou's face turned quite sullen, and Sesshoumaru regretted his words for a moment. Oh no, he should have known better than to arouse her temper...

"Do you have to order me around, Sesshoumaru?" she snapped. "Just because I am pregnant doesn't mean that I could no longer defend myself!"

Sesshoumaru felt panic rising within him. _Alas, Kikyou, don't get mad at me now..._

"Then take Jaken with you. He should be able to–"

"I don't need that silly toad for a guard!" Kikyou's voice was beginning to rise dangerously. Sesshoumaru knew that he had no choice but to give in to her, lest the worst happen.

"All right, then," he said with resignation. "Go and do what you like." His voice then took on a tenderer, concerned tone. "But please take care of yourself, beloved. I wouldn't want you to endanger yourself or our child..."

Kikyou's facial expression automatically changed. She gently cupped his cheek with her hand to make up for her harshness earlier.

"I will," said she. "Don't worry about me too much. I also care for you, Sesshoumaru..."

She broke off to feel Rin inserting several skins taken from a fragrant citron inside her sleeve. How wise of the child; inhaling the slightly bitter vapor of the fruit skins slightly eased her nausea whenever they came, and Kikyou could never really tell when her body would be attacked by queasy lassitude.

Sesshoumaru smiled and planted a tender kiss on her lips before he bade her off with Rin. His amber eyes continued to follow them until they disappeared into the forest, leaving him and Jaken in their fortress.

"I wonder how you could stand her temper, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken said beside his heels, but the Demon Lord said nothing in reply. He was presently looking at the mountain ranges with a serious stare in his eyes. _Something was wrong; something was clearly wrong..._

...o0o...

A fan snapped close, breaking the silence in the small gathering.

"How many casualties were there?" a female's wont echoed in the shadowed chamber.

"Not as many as the first instance, m' Lady; they do not appear to be fully interested in us," a meek male voice answered.

A shadow of another male stirred beside the slender female form, saying, "If we are not their target, then what is the reason behind these encounters in our borders?"

"Parts of our land lie in the borderline between the West and the world dominated by humans," explained the lesser voice. "They appear to have set their eyes on the Western Lands. To cross our domain would be the swiftest way to get there, m' Lord."

Another silence followed. Once more, it was the female voice that broke it.

"Very well; thank you for the report. You may go." The smaller form bowed to the greater two and left the darkened chamber, leaving the two forms to speak among themselves.

"Do you think the Lord of the West knows of this impending danger?" the queenly voice asked her companion.

"Nothing is reputed to be hidden from him," the regal male voice answered. "He probably knows about this better than us."

"In any case, he must be warned. After all, my father respects his family very much, and we are in his debt. You ought to go to him soon."

"I will. I will waste no time any longer."

A soft swishing of silken robes was heard as the taller figure arose, and where a human form once was, there now stood a creature with graceful antlers that stood out in the darkness. In a flash, the creature galloped soundlessly out of the hall, its errand clear in mind.

...o0o...

The end of chapter one, yay! What was Sesshy so worried about? And who is the lady and lord at the end of the chapter?


	3. Chapter 2: Warnings

**II: Warnings**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **To start off, I would like to give some apologies if the characters are rather OOC, as one review stated. Since this fic is set after the series ended (that is, if it will ever end o.o), I took some liberties by molding the characters according to how, in my point of view, their previous hardships and sufferings had shaped and changed them. So please bear with me if Kiky or Sesshie are not the persons we grew familiar with. And don't worry; I have not really abandoned their old personalities, as you will later see. ;)

Arwen, Dark Sorceress of Fate...if I were to give away cookies, I would have already given you a huge box of 'em! Those were smart answers, and you kinda got the gist on who the lady and lord are; but no, she is not Kikumo. o.o

P.S. Para sa reviewers kong Pinoy, yup, taga-Pisay nga po ako. Paano niyo nalaman? Ganun na ba ako kahalata sa profile ko? O.o

...o0o...

"_Humans in the Western Lands?"_

Deer eyes the color of black coal narrowed and the stag's noble head tilted in curiosity and wonder. As a leader of his people, he had heard that the Lord of the West despised humans, and had forbid their presence in his lands. Yet now he sees two of them, a beautiful lady clad in blue and a much younger girl in pastels walking in the woods. They were walking deeper into the forest, away from the stag which continued to watch them from behind some trees.

Ordinary human eyes would not have seen his form camouflaged among the trees, but the stag did not make one move until they were out of sight and their footsteps were but dull sounds to his ears. They appeared to be harmless, but it wouldn't take an experienced youkai to feel that there was something peculiar about the older woman, as though she had a great spiritual power of some sort...

The regal deer cut off his personal musings and went on his way, his ebony hooves not leaving behind a trace of his passing.

...o0o...

"She gets more and more uncontrollable as the days pass, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken grumbled as he sat before his lord in the verandah facing the mountains, breathing in the fresh air of the valley as they waited for their human companions to return.

Sesshoumaru did not reply. He already knew which 'she' Jaken was talking about. Of course, Kikyou... His retainer had been surprised, mortified, even, to see his master wrapped around the little finger of the former priestess just because she carried his child.

'You do not understand, Jaken. I doubt you ever will...' Sesshoumaru thought as he fixed his cold gaze on the green velvet mountains beyond. Jaken, even though he had been Sesshoumaru's servant for most of his life, never shared the taiyoukai's patience. If the silver-haired Demon could stand to be around his mood-swinging mate, his toady retainer would come close to a state of collapse in attempting to walk around her without rousing her temper. Sesshoumaru knew that Jaken still needs to be cautious, as Kikyou still retains much of her miko powers even if she no longer uses them as much as she used to.

But something occupied his conscious mind more than his wife at that moment. Since she and Rin departed earlier, Sesshoumaru had taken to surveying the surroundings as far as his amber eyes could see and as wide as his sharp ears could hear. He could feel something – better yet, someone – approaching. As a Demon Lord, he knew most of the youkai which take abode in his domain, but this anonymous person was foreign, and rather powerful at that. Kikyou and Rin should not be put into danger, and he would not hesitate to take action if this foreigner poses a threat to them.

And even more than that was the voice calling to him...though he could not quite understand its purposes, he strangely felt a kind of anxiety that he had never felt before. The voice spoke in but a mere whisper of his name, but the fact that that tender tone belonged to someone he once held so dear in his heart, nearly as much as he held Kikyou close to his soul, troubled him extremely. And to consider that the said person had long since left the world, or so as he believed, it was utterly unnerving...

But he made no mention of his worries to Jaken. Not only would his retainer be scared, no doubt about that, but personal pride deterred Sesshoumaru from doing so. Would he allow the Lord of the Western Lands to lose face simply because of disembodied voices whispering in his ears?

Out of the blue, Jaken gave a sharp cry of alarm, driving the taiyoukai from his musings. Tearing his amber oculars away from the ranges, he looked before him to see what frightened Jaken so much. Well, he had felt it before he saw it; it was the foreign presence that he had been thinking about earlier, only it stood so much nearer to them now.

With the deadly grace of a Demon Prince, Sesshoumaru stood up before Jaken and drew the Toukijin from his waist to prepare for any combat that might come. But the creature that was standing calmly before the gates of his fortress did not appear to be searching for trouble.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed slightly as he recognized the shape of their visitor. It took on the form of a stag, though its size was bigger than that an average deer. The wise-looking eyes were dark, and most of its short fur was the color of dark walnut. But its four well-muscled limbs were lined here and there by golden brown curving lines resembling smoke rising from a pinch of incense, contrasting the sharp bends and twists of antlers crowning the creature's head like polished ebony.

Unconsciously, a thorn pierced Sesshoumaru's heart to see a familiar, yet not so familiar presence. His mind could not help but return back to the dark times he and his wife had left behind them, and in doing so remember the image of a woman with long fawn hair and deep green eyes bathed in sunlight, smiling at him while her hands were on a silver-stringed koto.

_Kikumo…_ Sesshoumaru felt the image of his past lover flood his being...she who had restored the left arm that his brother had hacked off. His hand shook ever so slightly as he held on to the Toukijin, but neither Jaken nor the stag noticed it.

For long, inuyoukai and shikayoukai regarded each other, piercing amber eyes surveying coal-black ones, trying to read the intentions of the lesser Demon. However, the Deer Demon broke their eye contact and sank down on its front limbs, bowing its beautiful head before the Lord of the Western Lands in a gesture of deference. When it regained its equally noble stance, in its stead stood a figure of a man no less tall than Sesshoumaru.

"It is in peace that I come before you, my Lord," the male youkai said. Jaken peeked from behind Sesshoumaru's baggy pants to see a youkai in the form of a young man with waist-length golden brown hair tied in a half-ponytail. His robes were dyed in dark shades of red and brown, with flower motifs stitched in gold thread placed at regular intervals on the royal silk. There were black sharp crescent markings above his eyebrows and his deer ears were black-tipped, characteristics universal to all Deer youkai. But the look of wisdom and foresight clear in his eyes proved more than his royal garments that he was of high rank among the shikayoukai.

"I am Isamu, Lord of the Deer Clan," the other Demon continued. Jaken could not help but feel a surge of pride for his master. Here was another taiyoukai, prostrating himself before Lord Sesshoumaru. What other youkai could be as powerful as he? Even this low Deer youkai had to admit that. "I come in behalf of my Clan and my wife, our Queen. If it is your will, please accept whatever I have to say with an open mind."

As a gesture of formality among Demons, Isamu knelt on one knee before Sesshoumaru before standing up again to await the other Demon Lord's reaction.

Sesshoumaru's amber eyes never left the other Demon. Nor did he fail to notice that Isamu carried a naginata whose blade was shaped like a sickle, and he kept his Toukijin drawn.

"In peace, you claim to come," Sesshoumaru replied coldly. "Yet what is that weapon you carry?"

"With all due respect, my Lord," Isamu answered, laying down the naginata on the ground between them to prove that he wanted no bloodshed or power clashes with one of the most powerful youkai known among them. "I did not mean any harm. I need that weapon to defend myself from any assault that might befall me on my way to your abode, but I have no desire to challenge you, Sesshoumaru-sama."

Now that Isamu had called him by his name, Sesshoumaru felt secure within himself to put his sword back to his sash along with his father's heirloom, the Tenseiga. Tucking his hands within his sleeves, he faced the Lord of the Deer Demons, determined to get his reasons for coming by as quickly as possible. Not only was he annoyed that Isamu came without a warning to his place, but also he did not wish the other taiyoukai to know of Kikyou's and Rin's presence for the time being.

"Why are you here?" Sesshoumaru interrogated with his words straight to the point.

Isamu chose to ignore his aloof welcome. He clearly saw that his presence did not particularly please the silver-haired Demon, and Isamu did not want to be in Sesshoumaru's bad graces, both for his sake and the sake of the entire Deer Clan, which he represented.

"An enemy has been sighted at the borders of the Western Lands," Isamu said, choosing to not elaborate the situation further. "They are a horde of youkai-possessed human corpses, but given the chance, they take over the being of any living creature they could come across to. They defile the land as they go, burning trees and killing all plant life with a poison we have yet to find a cure."

Silence followed between them afterwards. Isamu gazed at Sesshoumaru's amber eyes, attempting to read his reaction, but saw only a cool expression glazing his oculars.

"And what do you expect me to do about that?" Sesshoumaru replied, pride radiating from his stately form.

Isamu was both awed and troubled by Sesshoumaru's passiveness and cool exterior. He had risen in status among the Deer youkai because he had mated with their Queen, but he had only been their leader for a short time in Demon years. Isamu was still unsure of his governing skills, but thanks to his wife, he had progressed greatly. Yet Sesshoumaru proved to be a far more sufficient leader than he is, and Isamu felt insignificant before him.

Jaken, who was silent for some time now, suddenly spoke up and took Sesshoumaru's side.

"No youkai who challenges Sesshoumaru-sama shall prevail!" he exclaimed with his croaky voice. "If those youkai-human-corpse rabbles are coming, then let them come! Sesshoumaru-sama will put them in line in no time at all!"

Isamu was unsure if the toady demon was exaggerating, but he replied out of respect, "Then it seems this situation doesn't trouble Lord Sesshoumaru much, and with this assurance, I can take my leave." He took his naginata from where it lay on the ground and prepared to walk away, but Sesshoumaru stopped him.

"What is your purpose for telling me this?"

Rather surprised that Sesshoumaru was interested with that, Isamu once more turned to face the inuyoukai.

"The Deer youkai love the land as much as we love ourselves," he began. "The sight of those demons that defile the land and yet we could not do anything about it infuriates us. The allegiance of your father, the late Inu no Taishou and our late Lord, Hisano, is still bright in the mind of my Queen, and she wishes to revive it. Perhaps, inuyoukai and shikayoukai could once more march in the battlefield as one against a common enemy."

Jaken was about to reply, but Sesshoumaru silenced him. He turned his back on the Deer youkai whilst saying, "You flatter yourselves into thinking that I would give in to your wishes. But be assured that the Dog Clan could stand upon its own feet without the support of its Deer neighbors."

Isamu silently regarded Sesshoumaru, and for a while considered asking the other demon if he knew of the presence of the two humans he saw earlier in the woods, but he interpreted Sesshoumaru's action as his permission to go. Though the silver-haired demon did not see it, Isamu once more bowed on one knee to acknowledge his words.

"Then it shall be, my Lord," he replied. "The Deer youkai have always acknowledged the power of the Dog tribe, and we still do. But our doors shall remain open to you, Sesshoumaru-sama, in case you wish to summon us for this cause."

With that, he transformed back to his deer form and dashed back into the forest with Jaken calling back, "Sesshoumaru-sama does not need your service!"

Sesshoumaru looked from the corner of his eyes into the forest where Isamu disappeared. _The Deer Clan had already renewed its allegiances with the Dog Clan earlier than you have thought, in the person of the Princess who carries the name of a chrysanthemum field..._

...o0o...

Awakened by a call from an unseen source, a monster rose from its slumber deep within the woods. Stretching its wings and long clawed limbs, it bared its wide fangs and opened its fearful red eyes as its master finally began to struggle against the seal which imprisoned him for hundred years. Now was the time for some action.

...o0o...

Yes, finally, Chapter two ends! Don't be disheartened if I update sparingly. I _won't _abandon this fic! (It's always on my mind, ya know!) :)


	4. Chapter 3: The Encounter in the Forest

**III: The Encounter in the Forest**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **Finally, I got to update! I am really, really sorry for the long lengths of time between updating, but the fates seem to be against me. Not only do we have tons of work, but also we have no internet connection in my home for several weeks now. Heck, when will they return the landline? I am already suffering from 'internet withdrawal syndrome!'

Also, I still am thinking if Inuyasha ought to be included somewhere in this fic. I originally did not intend to involve him in the story, but if you give me a good suggestion, I might consider it. ;)

...o0o...

Kikyou watched Rin whilst keeping an eye on their surroundings in case an impertinent youkai dared to attack her and the young girl. Her senses had been sharpened the past months, as though the tiny breath of life in her belly also lent her its share of gifts. It seemed most appropriate, as not all demons in the Western Lands were tolerant of her, especially considering her spiritual power that vanquished many of their powerful kin.

"Kikyou-sama!" Rin called out to her softly from behind a lichen-studded tree. The former Priestess quietly complied to the young girl's call, and came beside her in an instant. "Look over there! She is so pretty, isn't she?"

The maiden's gaze followed Rin's finger, and she saw a deer, a doe no doubt, sniffing at the deep green grass a good many feet from them. Kikyou knew by sight and by instinct that the animal was no youkai, as it radiated no strange aura as some demons in the guise of animals do.

They watched the silent animal as it surveyed the ground with its nose, careful not to make any sound lest they frighten it away.

Out of the blue, a smaller deer, its coat still dappled with spots of white and cream on its back, leaped out of the bushes nearby and began to play at its mother's heels. The young fawn looked so innocent, and its mother could only gaze at it seriously before chewing at the grass again.

The fawn continued playing near the doe's feet before it leaped in Kikyou's and Rin's direction. The youthful spirit stopped and inclined its head curiously upon seeing the two females. Rin held out one of her hands to encourage the little deer to come nearer.

At first, nothing seemed to happen, but the fawn cautiously began to trot towards them. Finally, its little nose quivered as it curiously sniffed at Rin's hand. Rin gave out a little gasp of joy.

Unfortunately, the mother deer heard the sound, and seeing her child with near the two women, she made a sound with her front hooves to alert her little one. The fawn obeyed at once, and went back to its mother, who led the young soul away whilst keeping her dark eyes on Kikyou and Rin.

Once the deer were out of sight, something caused Kikyou to be distracted from within. Her own baby stirred and kicked within her; she could almost feel its tiny hands hugging at her womb. She smiled and patted the small bulge on her stomach.

"He's moving again, Kikyou-sama?" Rin queried, gently placing her small hands on Kikyou's belly. She giggled to feel a slight movement beneath her fingers.

"He seems to be a lot more energetic these days," Kikyou said, grinning. She affectionately caressed the little girl's hair as Rin pressed an ear against her foster mother's belly. She could almost swear that she could hear a little heart beating within. "Are you really certain he's a boy, Rin-chan?"

"Rin would love him no less even if he turns out to be a girl, Kikyou-sama!" Rin replied happily. She patted Kikyou's stomach once more before looking up at the former priestess with impatience in her chocolate brown eyes. "How many more days will it take before he comes out?"

Kikyou laughed merrily at Rin's impatience. She knelt down to meet the little girl in the eye and she gently patted her cheek with on hand.

"He has been in my belly for only four months," Kikyou explained with a twinkle in the eye. "It will take another five before you can play with him."

"Aw, that's a big lot of time," Rin said, disappointed.

Kikyou let go of Rin, who began to scamper among the grass chasing a multicolored butterfly. She sighed to herself as her facial expression turned solemn. Her hand once more strayed over her womb. The child within rolled once and became still for a moment, as though appreciating her touch. If Rin only knew, she was as enthusiastic with the birth as she was, though a little scared, too, as it was her first time.

'I love you, little one,' she said in her mind. She recalled the doe and the fawn they had seen earlier; all the while she thought of Sesshoumaru's child, and strangely, of a youkai Princess whose true form was a deer, not to mention who was nearly as powerful as her husband. 'If Kikumo only lived...'

Why does the memory of her, Sesshoumaru's first love, still haunt her? Many a moment, he and Kikyou talked about Kikumo as though she were still living. In the brief time that Kikumo reconciled with them after they defeated Naraku and before she died, Kikyou knew that she would have made good friends with the demoness, and never mind if she shared a past relationship with Sesshoumaru. She really lived up to her name, as it was believed that chrysanthemums promote longevity. She continued living even beyond her death, even if it was only Sesshoumaru and his companions who remember her.

Kikyou's mahogany eyes roamed back to where Rin was tirelessly chasing after the butterfly, and she wondered if the little girl missed the company of their own kin. She did not find fault in their solitude among the mountains of his domain, or of their solitary way of life; after all, she had spent much of her past life alone as the keeper of the Shikon Jewel. Rin, herself, found her home in Sesshoumaru and Jaken after he rescued her from her miserable life in her village. What could be more perfect than spending the rest of her life with the one she loved, unhindered and undisturbed?

The young raven-haired maiden gently touched the trunk of a nearby tree, whose dark natural color was dotted here and there by patches of white lichen and downy moss. Yes, she knew what she just missed, what nagged at her from the corners of this rustic paradise. Though she could not live without the company of Sesshoumaru or his affections, she longed for a friend, a confidante. Rin was like a daughter to her, but there are many things that a child couldn't understand. If only Kikumo had lived...

Out of a sudden, a feeling of dread and alarm spread throughout Kikyou's mind, driving her abruptly from her musings. She felt something, something terribly evil and frightening, coming their way. What was this? She hadn't felt it before; she couldn't understand it...

"Rin, we have to get back to Sesshoumaru..."

...o0o...

Sesshoumaru impatiently gazed up at the sun. It was nearing noontime now. He trusted Kikyou, yes, but there seems to be something else in his woods; he was unsure if he knew it, or if he could trust it to stay away from Kikyou and Rin. The amber-eyed demon had studied Isamu's aura enough to recognize it anywhere; the other demon lord was obviously gone from the West and back to his Clan in the Borderlands.

With a swish of his silver-sheen hair, he stood up from the verandah, catching his retainer off-guard. Jaken shot his master a questioning stare.

"Where are you going, Lord Sesshoumaru?" The toad-like demon stood up to follow the taiyoukai as he strode down the steps with deadly grace, but Sesshoumaru had other plans.

"Stay here, Jaken. I do not permit you to go anywhere until Rin and Kikyou are back in the fortress..."

...o0o...

Kikyou's command had barely left her lips when the trees around them began to sway violently, and a small tremor began to rock the ground where they stood. Rin and Kikyou fell to the ground as it heaved and fell like an animal yawning after a long sleep.

"Rin!" she called out to the little girl. Rin fought to get up and reach the former priestess, but it was rather impossible to do so. She resorted to crawling on all fours, but no sooner had she scuttled several feet when a nearby tree fell on her path.

A single cry of concern left Kikyou's lips as she stood up, forgetting her other fears for the moment. She fell painfully to her knees as the ground beneath her rolled as though it had turned into ocean waves. Fearing that it would cause her unborn child unnecessary damage, Kikyou half-crawled to where the tree had come between her and the little girl, calling out the other girl's name as she did so.

"Rin's all right, Kikyou-sama!" Rin managed to raise herself from her crouched position. Kikyou sighed in relief; Rin didn't get crushed under the tree as she had previously thought. The younger girl unsteadily made her way over the felled tree trunk to be gathered in a tight embrace by Kikyou.

"_Vengeance...vengeance shall be attained, oh my Master..." _A mind-splitting voice suddenly exploded from inside their brains, nearly sending Kikyou and Rin into a swoon. A strong wind rapidly flapped all over them, and Kikyou looked behind them to see that the wind by caused by a flapping of great wings. Rin screamed as she beheld the terrible sight.

It was a dragon, nearly as tall as the majestic trees that surrounded them, covered in an intricate network of spines that could easily snag flesh into bloody ribbons. Although its entire body was a deadly deep blue-green, its eyes shone maliciously red, and its long slender limbs ended in claws as large as butchers' knives. Its thrashing tail brought down another tree as though it were but a stick.

The monster's dreadful eyes then caught sight of the two humans, puny-looking and seemingly insignificant, cowering near its feet. However, it felt that the older of the two was a great threat, and it was not fooled with her ostensibly weak facade. It opened its gaping mouth in a snarl, exposing knife edge fangs and a long forked tongue resembling that of a snake's.

Kikyou had barely led Rin behind a tree when the dragon's piercing claws came crashing on where they sat earlier, but having given away their location, the gigantic youkai began to pursue them. Rin gave another scream as a whip like tail split the tree trunk in half, barely missing them.

As Kikyou guided Rin with difficulty over the fallen trees to escape yet another swipe from the monster, her mind sought to think of what path to take. The raven-haired maiden was torn between protecting Rin and the child in her womb. Her mobility was limited; she couldn't do much fighting lest it would cost her firstborn's life.

"_Miko...you are a threat to my Master..." _

The voice of the dragon once more reverberated in their minds. By now they understood that the monster communicates via telepathy, as they could hear his treacherous words even if it did not appear to come from his mouth.

'If it's me that you want, then you shall have it!' Kikyou thought determinedly as she hastily pushed Rin away from the scene.

"Run as fast as you can!" Kikyou whispered to her, but Rin stubbornly shook her head.

"Rin won't leave you!" Rin exclaimed, clinging on harder to the former priestess' blue robes.

"I will be all right," Kikyou muttered, trying her best to be calm and reassuring. She once more gave the little girl a push to spare her from a worse fate. "Rin, you _have_ to run_"_

The dragon's tail went down with a roar on the forest ground, sending out yet another tremor.

"Rin, _run!_"

This time, Rin obeyed. After giving Kikyou a last hug, she turned and ran as fast as she could over the shaking soil; tumbling for many times before she was finally out of sight.

'Yes, go and save yourself...' was the thought that flew in Kikyou's mind before she became occupied in defending herself from the violent youkai which now concentrated all its attention on her. She put one arm over her belly as she dodged a fling of its tail. She ran behind another tree, only to have her hiding place brought down by the mere swing of the monster's claw.

Kikyou cursed herself for not bringing her bow and purity arrows with her. Since she had settled with Sesshoumaru in the Western Lands, her miko weapons were most of the time in the corner of their room, gathering dust from neglect. No demon would dare to attack her, considering who her mate was, and that she had more powers aside from bow and arrows. She instantly knew that this youkai either did not acknowledge Sesshoumaru in any way, or it knew not of her relations with him.

"_You can't hide from the powers of the Master. Miko, you have nowhere to run..."_

"What do you want from me?" Kikyou demanded, facing her adversary with a gaze that spoke of her power and authority.

The monster's mouth seemed to twist in a rough grin as the ground temporarily stopped shaking. Its fiery red eyes seemed to whirl out of focus as a new set of words formed in Kikyou's mind. Its statements seemed to be as twisted as its serpentine body.

"_Revenge...Master, we all shall have our share of revenge. To see her bloodline fail would be our satisfaction..."_

"I said what do you want from me?" Kikyou said in an evenly measured tone. What was the dragon talking about? She didn't wish to let out her powers yet. Not before she gets out the purposes of this demon.

The dragon's eyes stopped whirling as it fixed its deadly glare upon Kikyou, who did not even flinch.

"_I cannot comprehend why you, Priestess, are here in the Western Lands, or even who you are; but if you came here to spoil our cause, the Master shall put you in line."_

The youkai's words further increased Kikyou's confusion. Can't this insolent monster see that she knew nothing of the cause he was talking about? All the while, she thought that it was _her_ bloodline that the maleficent demon was talking about, but now it's apparent that the dragon didn't even know who she was, or that she was Lord Sesshoumaru's mate, for that matter.

The dragon's eyes once more began to whirl. _"Her blood shall die from this earth..."_

"Whose blood?" Kikyou interrogated, bravely walking nearer to the dazed-looking demon.

An angry hiss left the dragon's mouth. _"Lady of the Tsukisawa...you dared to defy the Master...your bloodline shall pay dearly..."_

_Lady of the Tsukisawa?_ Tsukisawa...Marsh of the Moon...Kikyou had never heard of such a name before.

"_You have sealed the Master before your death, but the Master had now awakened, and in a sevenday shall break your seal. The blood of your one descendant shall be spilled and your doom shall be absolute..."_

"Who's the 'one descendant'?" Kikyou found herself asking. Though she had no idea on who the Lady of the Tsukisawa was, she certainly didn't want her descendant to fall victim to the deeds of the Master (whoever he may be) and his minions.

The dragon's bared his fangs and arched his neck upwards.

"_...Prince of the West, you carry her blood in your veins, and with your death her doom is fulfilled..."_

Something snapped inside Kikyou at the mention of the Prince of the West. It could only be Sesshoumaru.

"_A shard of the moon  
O'er mist coming and going..."_

She _had_ to get back to him.

"_...A jewel of doom,  
O'er water still, unmoving..."_

He _has _to know this...

"_...O'er depths endless, a-waiting..."_

The chanting of the monster was barely comprehensible to Kikyou, and she was almost caught off guard as the dragon's eyes focused again and his wide mouth with all its fangs came crashing her way, threatening to swallow her in one gulp.

Instinctively, Kikyou held out her two hands as a blinding flash came out from her outstretched fingers.

"_I summon you to Hell!"_

The evil youkai let out a wild shriek as Kikyou's attack served its purpose. Numerous chains leaped out from fissures on the ground and the cold shackles closed around the dragon's feet as fire engulfed the entity. Soon, nothing was left of the monster but the damage it had done to the forest.

Unsteadily, Kikyou dragged her feet like a sleepwalker around the fallen trees. She was suddenly weary, and she felt as though her vision was beginning to spin.

'I have to get back to Sesshoumaru...'

But her body betrayed her wishes. In her extreme weariness, she hardly saw her path as it took her to a slope, and as she stepped on a loose rock that slipped from beneath her feet, she slid down to a place she hardly knew. All that her conscious self could comprehend was that she landed on something soft, a pile of dewy grass perhaps, before she lost consciousness.

'He has to know this...'

...o0o...

Kinda creepy, huh? Who's the 'Lady of the Tsukisawa'? And who is she in relation to Sesshoumaru? ;)


	5. Chapter 4: Hanazuki, Lady of Mystery

**IV: Hanazuki, Lady of Mystery**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **Finally, one of the major original characters of the story is unveiled in this chapter! I know you've been waiting ages for this, so read on!

...o0o...

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes narrowed to feel an ever slight trembling on the ground beneath his feet. Though he still maintained an expressionless outer facade, his heart seemed to be beating its way out of his rib cage.

The Lord of the West quickened his usually unhurrying pace. He had to reach Kikyou and Rin, but their auras and scent were weak to his senses. They must have ventured far into the vast forest, but Sesshoumaru was bent on finding them. The other foreign aura in the forest was laced with malice, and such was a thing he could not tolerate.

Out of the blue, Sesshoumaru felt a flare of his beloved's spiritual powers. At once, he knew something was amiss, and he took off with impressive speed towards the source of the flare, his sinewy form blurring as he went. He very nearly missed a little girl running in his direction as far as her human running speed could carry her.

'Rin...' Sesshoumaru stopped at once, and the girl nearly screamed, partly out of relief and partly out of fright to see the figure of her lord materialize before her. Before she could help it, Rin clutched at him, sobbing and shaking. He scanned his surroundings, but they were completely alone, without a sign of his raven-haired mate. 'Where have you gone, Kikyou?'

The Demon Lord almost instinctively placed a hand on her head. What had happened? Rin was obviously frightened, judging by the violent spasms rocking her body as he held her. She muttered almost incoherent words, but Sesshoumaru managed to catch a couple of fragmented phrases.

"A speaking dragon... Kikyou-sama... Kikyou-sama fighting the dragon... Please help her, Sesshoumaru-sama..."

'A dragon, a youkai from the blood of Ryuukossei, is in my realm?' was the thought that angrily formed in his mind. Many 'speaking dragons,' as Rin called them, were enemies of his late father, including the powerful Ryuukossei who managed to seriously injure Inu no Taishou. Sesshoumaru made Rin look up at his stern features, and she gradually quieted down.

"To the fortress, Rin," he commanded in a stern voice, though inwardly, his spirit was screaming in desperation. "Jaken will be waiting for you."

Rin knew better than to question the powerful taiyoukai. With a single nod, she let go of her hold on the silver-haired demon and ran to where he came from, whilst he went the opposite, hoping to reach his mate before it's too late.

'Kikyou, I can't allow our child to suffer because of this...'

...o0o...

Kikyou felt as though she had passed out for an eternity before she regained consciousness. The words of the despicable youkai she had battled earlier were still ringing in her ears, and it gave her no rest to go over them in her mind.

"_...Prince of the West, you carry her blood in your veins, and with your death her doom is fulfilled..."_

Though she knew that many demons wanted her husband's claim over the Western Lands, it was rare to find a youkai who spoke of him with such hatred. Kikumo used to be one of those, but not even her desire for revenge back in the times of Naraku could compare to half of the flaming anger emanating from the dragon, as though hate was the spirit of the evil being itself. And Kikyou knew only too well that 'the Master' could only be worse, judging by the cruelty of his followers.

'Why do they wish to destroy Sesshoumaru?' Kikyou thought, struggling against the head-splitting headache racking her senses. 'Lady of the Tsukisawa, who are you?'

"_Lady of the Tsukisawa...you dared to defy the Master...your bloodline shall pay dearly..."_

Her tired eyes caught sight of the sun's failing light peeking among the branches of the old-growth trees towering above her. How long had she slept? They hadn't much time to piece together the many sections of the puzzle surrounding this mystery. If she recalled correctly, the Master was sealed by the so-called Lady of the Moon Marsh, but her seal was beginning to lose its power.

"_You have sealed the Master before your death, but the Master had now awakened, and in a sevenday shall break your seal..."_

In a week, he will be freed, and his sole purpose of existing is to kill Sesshoumaru...

"_...The blood of your one descendant shall be spilled and your doom shall be absolute..."_

That mere thought caused Kikyou to sit up, but she fell on her back almost at once, feeling as though her surroundings were spinning around her. What little food she had eaten during the day threatened to be expelled out of her mouth. Of all the hours that nausea could strike...

Kikyou felt into her sleeve for the rinds of citron Rin had given her during the morning, but she almost at once threw them away, as their fragrance had gone stale; their smell only made her feel more sickened. Her baby rolled over in her womb, and her hands carefully went over her stomach area to feel if her child suffered any injury. Thankfully, she felt no breaks whatsoever. She sighed in relief.

'Sesshoumaru, where are you?' Kikyou thought, feeling totally spent. He must have gone looking for her by this time now.

A gentle light appeared from the corner of her eye, causing her to blink for a moment. A most delightful fragrance began to fill the thick twilight air, a strange sweetness that reminded Kikyou of her mate's tender caresses. What she wouldn't give to be back in his arms by now...

"She seems to be in need for help; come, my soul-gatherers..."

A woman's ageless voice reached Kikyou's ears, and she gathered the courage to open her mahogany eyes. The light that surrounded her was bright, yet so gentle to the eyes that she felt not the need to squint. Abruptly, a small eel-like demon began to float over her, to be followed by many others of its own kind. As they carried on their graceful dance in the air, Kikyou recognized them immediately.

They were shinidamachuu, soul-catching demons. Kikyou could control her own soul-catchers, which were of inestimable help to her when she still resided in a clay body. However, this kind of shinidamachuu seemed to be built differently from her usual white demons.

If Kikyou's pets were pure white with red eyes, these demons had a beautiful shade of blue on the heads and claws which faded to white at the tail. Their eyes were violet, and an intricately textured armor-like plate adorned their heads. But a pair of black spines protruded from each of the sides of the creature's eyes where a shinidamachuu's wings should have been.

Its usual soft sail was replaced by dark-colored, hard sails which reminded Kikyou of a saw's edge. At first glance, it's evident that they were more warlike than a usual shinidamachuu, but they reverently floated over her like watchful guardians.

"Worry not," came the lady's voice once again, carrying a ring of authority which sounded like a mellow, gentler version of Sesshoumaru's speaking voice. For some strange reason, Kikyou felt at ease. "They won't harm you upon my command."

Kikyou turned her head slightly to the side to catch a better sight of her companion. She nearly gasped.

From the misty lights emerged a woman, a demoness no doubt by her aura, clad in robes of colors which reminded Kikyou of white fog over a dark blue body of water, while the sky lightened from night to daybreak above. Her hair, which nearly reached the hems of her robes, shone with the deep purple of a sky in late twilight. Her eyes fascinated Kikyou, for they were unlike anything she had ever seen, with the tint of grey-blue, like a moon in full. A light shone upon her breast, but Kikyou couldn't take her eyes off the lady's forehead.

She also bore a mark of a Prussian blue crescent moon very similar to her husband's, except that the sickle-moon faced up, and not to the woman's left as it was with Sesshoumaru. Magenta stripes radiated from the left and right of the crescent, and a touch of light purple was on her eyelids. Kikyou could not help but notice that in overall, her face strangely and strongly mirrored Sesshoumaru's.

A pair of shinidamachuu broke off from their kind and began to float around the ethereal lady. She held out one of her hands as she allowed one of the creatures to grasp at her fingers gently before she sent them back with the others. Kikyou didn't realize she had been staring, and when she felt the other woman's eyes looking at her kindly, she averted her gaze in shame. If she thought Kikumo was beautiful, this lady was certainly even more so.

"Daughter," the lady addressed her softly, kneeling gracefully beside Kikyou's supine figure and examining her with the doting atmosphere of a mother. Her soft grey eyes fell on the ever so slight bulge on the younger woman's waist. "What brought you and your child to this place?"

Kikyou was amazed that the lady knew at one glance that she was pregnant. Her belly had not yet swollen to the point that it will be noticed from afar, and only her companions at home knew that she carried a child.

"My companion and I were attacked," Kikyou replied softly. She felt so weak that her vision was beginning to darken. Desperation began to lace her voice. "I must go back to him... There is so much that he needs to know..." A wave of nausea passed over her, making her body lurch as she threatened to throw up.

The violet-haired demoness laid a hand gently on Kikyou's shoulder to calm her. The lady's scent wafted over to her, and Kikyou felt her nausea beginning to drift away as though it had never been.

"I know," she whispered softly, and Kikyou looked at her with wonder. What, and how, could she know?

The lady answered her question even before Kikyou formed the words in her mouth. "My spirit had traversed the Western Lands for many years, and I know of the happenings within its deep forests. Kikyou, your encounter with Ryuukossei's kindred did not escape my attention."

Kikyou's eyes narrowed without her knowing it. Though she could feel no evil intentions whatsoever from this woman, her past life had taught her to be more cautious. _The more powerful of demons are those that could take on a human form..._ Her experiences with Sesshoumaru, Kikumo, and even with Naraku and her past lover Inuyasha, were more than enough to justify that statement.

"How came you to know my name?" she asked, inching a little bit from the beautiful demoness who knelt by her side.

An unreadable expression passed over the Demon Lady's eyes. Kikyou didn't know if she had offended the demoness, but the lady let out a most charming laugh as though to quell her fears. By now, Kikyou can tell that she was quite amused. She couldn't help but think that this trait was definitely so like Sesshoumaru.

"Do not fear," she said, smiling at Kikyou. "I know perfectly who your Lord Sesshoumaru is, and that the child you now carry is his. Besides," her eyes twinkled as she paused, "my bark is worse than my bite."

As cryptic an answer it might seen, it gave Kikyou the assurance that she could trust this mysterious lady. Besides, her last statements proved that she had a pleasant sense of humor that Kikyou knew she herself lacked. However, Kikyou was too agitated to reply as wholeheartedly.

"Then you must have heard what the dragon said," Kikyou said, struggling to get up. "Please, I have to get back to him..."

The lady smiled softly, quietly stroking Kikyou's raven hair like a mother to gently encourage her to lie down again, lest she hurt herself.

"You are not the only one who cares for him," the woman said. "I am worried for him as much as you are. Furthermore, I am worried for you two." In her weakened state, Kikyou could see that the previous twinkle in the lady's grey orbs had worn off and was replaced by a thoughtful expression, as though she was pondering on something that made her extremely sad.

"Do you disapprove of me as his..." Kikyou broke off, unable to continue. She knew for a fact that her relationship with Sesshoumaru was scorned upon by both humans and demons, and heaven knows how his pride was greatly scarred to hear unfavorable remarks from even the lowest of youkai being aimed at him.

"Though it breaks my heart to see you both suffer, I see no fault in a demon loving a human," the demoness replied. "Nor do I disapprove of you, Kikyou, as his mate. But your relationship has a deeper purpose than the fulfillment of the love of two persons; only with your bond can a hidden vow be finally accomplished."

"What do you mean?" Kikyou murmured, but the lady evaded her question.

"He will come for you," she answered. "Do not yet trouble yourself with what I said." Her hand passed briefly over Kikyou's eyes, and she barely saw the magenta stripes snaking her wrist or the silver sheen of her fingernails as sleep began to overwhelm her. "You must recover your strength, daughter..."

Kikyou, however, wanted to stay awake for a moment longer.

"I must know your name, Lady..." she whispered.

Her gray eyes glistened slightly. "Since the beginning of my existence, I have borne the name Suien, but I am known as Hanazuki by many," she said. "I prefer that you address me by the latter, but either name is acceptable to me."

She reached out to tenderly clasp Kikyou's clammy hand, whispering, "You have to sleep, Kikyou. He will come for you."

_Suien..._mist over water... _Hanazuki_...flower moon... They were both lovely, as beautiful as the face of their bearer.

"I thank you, Lady Hanazuki..." Kikyou murmured before she finally gave in to the trappings of sleep numbing her senses. It then occurred to her that she hadn't inquired of Hanazuki why she so resembled Sesshoumaru, in her manner of speaking which could easily ensnare one's attention by a mere word, and in the look from her fascinating eyes, which was composed yet in a way, carried a whisper of sadness within.

_A shard of the moon_

_O'er mist coming and going,_

_A jewel of doom,_

_O'er water still, unmoving,_

_O'er depths endless, a-waiting... _

Neither was she able to ask if she knew of the Lady of the Tsukisawa.

...o0o...

'Kikyou, where have you gone?' Sesshoumaru thought heatedly to himself. Dismayed he was at the damage the dragon had caused the forest, he still hadn't found Kikyou. This worried him more than a wide area of land flattened as though a wind of hurricane winds had swept the trees.

He could hardly feel her aura anymore, and the trail of her scent was too weak to be discernible. The sun was beginning to set, but Sesshoumaru vowed to himself that he wouldn't stop until he had found his mate. She carried his child, and for that he cared for her twice as much, and loved her ten times more. If she died, well, he might as well likely follow her.

Sesshoumaru knew that he had already searched the forest twice, or at least the portions of it accessible by ordinary youkai and humans, if he ever allowed their presence in his woods. There were pockets of it which were more dangerous, which not even the most daring of his underlings would dare to penetrate, for fear of some sort of hidden power which could match even his own.

With a snort, the taiyoukai disregarded the warnings of his mind and decided to venture deeper within the woods. After all, Kikyou was an extraordinary woman, brave beyond belief, and had survived a hellish dimension before she became his.

He did not even pause for a moment as he crossed the safe boundary of the forest. Sesshoumaru felt the other demons which had been watching him shrink away in fear at the area he entered. There, the trees were darker and more hostile-looking, the shade beneath them gloomier and thicker. The evening mist began to waft among the trees, and the surroundings were as silent as death.

A flash of white caught Sesshoumaru's attention. The Demon Lord's amber eyes narrowed. It looked just like a trick of mist, but he knew that it was more than a wisp of cloud over the ground.

He stood motionless for a while, waiting for the entity to reveal itself. Soon it did, and a small demon emerged from the darkness, its elongated body like a lamp in the darkness.

It was a shinidamachuu, but Sesshoumaru knew that it was not one of his wife's pets. This soul-catcher looked as though it was built for combat, and though he could not deny that he was familiar with this type of shinidamachuu, the Demon Lord was surprised to see one of them, for it had been centuries since he had laid his eyes on one. This could only mean...

The shinidamachuu regarded the taiyoukai with its violet eyes before drifting back into the darkness. Sesshoumaru followed it silently down the gentle slope, and his nose gradually picked up a perfume, a fragrance which like the shinidamachuu, had been hidden from him for a great many years before he finally beheld them now. And like the soul-catcher, it reminded him of a single person...

A soft voice began to fill the blank spaces of the trees with a song it hummed, and Sesshoumaru stopped in his tracks. It was definitely not a trick of his imagination. He knew that voice; it had been calling to him...

Just as he thought of it, Sesshoumaru caught sight of a faint halo of light moving among some trees, and he shed his paralysis to go after it, the bodiless voice echoing its song in his sharp ears.

His heart beating like a wild bird caught in a cage, he stepped like a sleepwalker over the thick blanket of leaves that had settled undisrupted on the forest floor. The fragrance, the soul-catcher, the voice, the light...was it some trick of fate that brought them all together this dark night?

Before he knew it, Sesshoumaru was only a few steps away from the bright miasma, which had also stopped moving, as though anticipating his reaction.

His face was illuminated by the unearthly glow, and his silvery hair began to flutter although there was no wind. He reached out one of his hands to touch the white sphere, which seemed to have a solid quality to it. The song of the forest began to fade from his ears, and a tiny part of him began to despair at the thought that the ethereal voice that sang it would be gone...again.

Just as the tip of his claws had penetrated the outer shell of the swirling haze, a figure appeared within the sphere of light. Sesshoumaru's amber eyes widened as the outlines became clearer and more defined. And as swiftly as he finally recognized the figure in the whiteness, the miasma disappeared, breaking off in formless ribbons that became one with the floating mist of his surroundings, bringing with them the fragrance and the voice. The shinidamachuu, too, had vanished as though it had never been.

The great youkai Lord of the West stood there in a daze for a few moments, as though still held captive by the spell of the figure in the miasma. Just then, his nose caught the scent of his mate, her aura reaching out for his.

He found Kikyou immediately, asleep among the roots of a centuries-old tree nearby. Sesshoumaru rushed to her side, wondering why he had only found her now.

He whispered her name, but she seemed to be too deeply asleep to respond. In the dim light, he surveyed her to check if she was all right. As far as he can see, she was nonetheless unharmed, with one of her hands placed protectively over her belly.

Sesshoumaru was touched by her position, and he took in the beautiful features of her soft face and raven hair before he gently hooked his arms under Kikyou's legs and shoulders to carry her home. At this, he felt her stir.

Kikyou's mahogany eyes opened briefly, and seeing that she was finally in her husband's arms, she asked softly, "Where is Lady Hanazuki?" But before Sesshoumaru could answer her question, she had fallen asleep again, her face sinking into the soft fur on his shoulder.

...o0o...

Sesshoumaru gently laid Kikyou down on their futon and placed a warm blanket over her body to ward off the chill of the night. He had ordered Jaken and Rin to stay away, so as not to disturb Kikyou from her rest. Sesshoumaru stayed with the sleeping figure of his mate for some time, watching over her as she lingered in the world of dreams.

But his thoughts drifted somewhere else, deep within the shadows of the forest where he encountered the white miasma. He had seen her, the lady his wife spoke of earlier. Sesshoumaru had seen her exactly as he remembered her several hundred years ago, as beautiful and as ageless, smiling as she used to when she held him in her arms.

The Lord of the Western Lands closed his eyes briefly and stood up from his sitting position. He spared one last look at his sleeping wife before he went out of the room like the passing of a shadow. He looked up at the half-moon, which was beginning to be cloaked in a robe of clouds, and as its light was hidden, he disappeared into the forest beyond.

After he saw the vision of his mother, there welled up from within him a torrent of memories and emotions which he sought to reminisce, once again.

...o0o...

**Arwen, Dark Sorceress of Fate: **WOW! Are you reading my mind? You could guess so well how the events would unfold! ;) I am glad you liked the name of 'Tsukisawa.' I thought of the names I would use rather carefully, and I had to browse many Japanese-English dictionaries to get them right! And, yeah, I agree. How else could have Sesshie gotten his handsome looks? A pretty mommy and a cute daddy would be the likely formula, ne? ;p

**SilverRogue: **Thanks for the compliment; I will try to update more, as I now have restored access to the net.

**hipkid727: **Aaaw, thanks for your patience. I really am glad to have loyal reviewers who believe in me more than I do believe in myself.

**ninalee-chan:**This chapter answered your question, right? ;) I am not exactly an expert on dragons, but I'm glady ou think that the dragon scene was fine.

**Absent of Grace: **Yep, Hanazuki aka Suien is the lady in the Prologue. A mean guy, this Karatake is, right?

**Cold Kikyo: **Thanks for liking the story! It's going to get more interesting, promise! ;)

So, now you know who the Lady from the Prologue is! ;) What could Hanazuki mean when she said that 'only with your bond can a hidden vow be finally accomplished'? And you may want to check out the hand drawn illustrations of TUSotM I posted in my profile.You have no idea how many times I revised Hanazuki's looks before I'm satisfied. o.o


	6. Chapter 5: Reminiscence

**V: Reminiscence**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **I apologize for the long intervals between chapter uploads. We have never been bombarded with so much requirements in school (heck, perhaps even Superman will crack if he were given one project after another)! My account was also suspended for some reason I couldn't understand. Anyway, I would like to take advantage of a lull between requirement submissions to finally go on with Chapter five! **WARNING: GRAPHIC AND VERBAL VIOLENCE IN THIS CHAPTER!** Don't say you weren't warned!

...o0o...

The light of the newly uncloaked half moon penetrated the deep forest in thin beams, the thick foliage shutting out most of the silver moonbeams as the hours went on. There was almost no sign of animal life aside from the twilight summer calls of a cicada in the distance; the woods stood as though in a peaceful reverie, betraying the true nature of its many inhabitants.

Abruptly, one of the unmoving moonbeams flickered as a shadow flitted through it in the blink of an eye. The regal form of the Prince of the West was like a shining treasure which stood out against a background of rustic wilderness. Many lesser demons, hidden invisible inside any imaginable nook and cranny, stirred within their cramped dwellings and wondered why the powerful ruler of their domain had decided to walk the silent passages in the dead of the night.

Sesshoumaru knew they were watching him, but he paid them the least of attention. They wouldn't dare raise a hair against him, knowing the power he possessed. Neither would they question his ways, at least openly. Sesshoumaru had known that many of his underlings thought ill of him because of Kikyou, but his subjects lived in great fear of him that such scandal (or so as many thought), was never discussed openly in the West, reducing it to a rumor in the lands outside the domain. Likewise, they drew back within their lairs the moment he passed them in his own aristocratic grace.

His face devoid of all emotion, Sesshoumaru strode on, hardly even sparing his surroundings a simple glance. His amber eyes were fixed steadily on the overgrown passage as it stretched before him, and nothing but nothing could seem to break through the invisible wall of utter coldness surrounding the Demon Lord.

'Why now?' the silver-haired youkai thought to himself, and an ever so slight flicker passed over his intensely colored orbs as he went over the recent events once more in his mind. 'What are you trying to tell me?'

His brows creased together slightly in a thoughtful frown.

'Mother, whatever are you trying to tell me?'

...o0o...

Gradually, the vast forest began to thin out. The space between the trees grew wider and wider as grasses began to dominate the untamed wilderness of the West. Sesshoumaru paused for a while, taking in the wide expanse of his domain as it spread out before him in a tree less plain dotted here and there by granite boulders.

He passed one of the many boulders scattered in random groups throughout the field, his platinum hair catching the glimmer of the moonbeams as they shot out of their mother orb in the heavens. Here and there, Sesshoumaru caught random memories as they escaped from his mind, as though the dam which had pent up all those memoirs had suddenly broken, spilling them in a torrent of violent reminiscence.

Sesshoumaru passed several other granite boulders, hardly noticing the gentle breeze that had begun to blow on the grassland, ruffling his silvery tresses. Eventually, he stopped, gazing at the grassy heart of the granite-littered field. Is this the place, the place for which he had ventured so far in one night, a place of such importance that for the sake of visiting it, he momentarily left his beautiful wife in her sleep?

Yes, it is there where his memories are sharpest, so sharp that he can replay the happenings before his very eyes...as though he could see, from the corner of his eye, the small figure of a child who looked about eight or nine years of age in human years, running among the waving grass as though without a care in the world, laughing as he ran against the direction of the wind.

The wind carried a soft voice throughout the field. Hearing his name called, the child immediately turned around, running towards the outstretched arms of a young woman whose inky black tresses contrasted the silver strands of her son's hair. Her face was rather serious and composed, but she smiled slightly as she extended her hands towards the younger one.

Just as the smaller hands touched the fingertips of the older hand, the vision faded into the darkness of the night, like smoke drifting away from a dying fire. Sesshoumaru's steely gaze softened ever so slightly. Did those events really take place? It looks like a memory from a dream...a fantasy wholly untrue and imagined.

But Sesshoumaru knew, deep inside, those fantasies as he called them, were not simple fantasies after all. Though fleeting such memories might seem, he knew that at one time, he was a young child who played in this same field centuries ago. And he knew perfectly well that because of a cruel trick of fate, such carefree days of youth were never destined to last.

...o0o...

The sky was bright and cloudless, and the gentle rays of the daystar shone radiantly upon a young boy as he hid among several granite rocks, trying very hard not to make a single move.

No doubt, at first glance, he was no ordinary child. True, he may possess the slender form of a human child, but the striking markings on his face and wrists, not to mention the extraordinary silver hair, proved that he was far above anything one would call human.

He wore the royal garb of a young prince of his era, emphasizing his noble rank among youkai. Born to the Lord of the West and an equally powerful and respected Demon Lady, he was aware of his potential as a great demon, and was not afraid to show it. He crouched silently within the tiny opening of the granite boulder, his amber-gold eyes narrowing as he sought to concentrate on hiding his demon aura.

"I know you're hiding out there, and I am going to find you..." came the even tones a familiar voice. The youkai child could catch a note of jest in the statement, and he was determined all the more to not make himself seen.

Soon, his surroundings were completely silent except for the gentle _swish-swish _of grass as the wind played with their tiny blades. The young one was perplexed; he still felt the other youkai's scent and aura only a few seconds before, and now he felt not a trace of it, as though it had vanished completely. Was its bearer only hiding itself from him, or had it left him alone?

Letting his guard down slightly, the boy let bits of his youki escape as he warily peered out of his cramped hideout. He looked to his left; he looked to his right. He found not what he was looking for. Had she truly...?

The youthful demon let out a surprised squeal as a pair of hands suddenly grabbed hold of his shoulders and forcefully pulled him out of his dark nook. He tried to escape, but the hands held him firm as he tumbled upon the soft grasses covering most of his surroundings. He struggled for several moments against the sinewy arms that held him before finally surrendering to the far greater force keeping him in its control.

"Mother, you found me again!" the young one exclaimed as he looked up half-admiringly and half-irritatingly at the older face which, disregarding several physical features, extremely mirrored his own. "Did I fail in keeping my aura hidden?"

"Sesshoumaru, you were doing well at the start, but when I myself decided to hide myself, you gave yourself away; how could I not find you?" came her quick reply, releasing her hold on her son. As he sat on her knees, she gently smoothed away several strands of her son's hair which had become tangled due to their game earlier.

Sesshoumaru did not stop gazing up at his mother. Though she was smiling slightly as she said her previous statements, he knew that she was teaching him yet another important lesson, a lesson he would have to remember if he were to become a proper taiyoukai.

"Can we do it again, please?" he asked of the demoness, clutching at her water blue robes in childish enthusiasm. He was eager to do better in the next round. "Can we do it again until not even Father can find me?"

She let out a good-natured laugh. They had been playing their own version of hide and seek for many hours now; still, she could always find Sesshoumaru no matter what nook and cranny he inserted himself into. However, even she had to admit that he was doing pretty well for a demon as young as he. He could so stealthily hide his aura and the trail of his scent that she was confident he will grow up to be nearly as great a Demon Lord as her mate.

"Mother?"

Upon hearing her son's voice taking on a sadder, more pleading tone, she immediately put her musings at the back of her mind to give him her undivided attention.

"What is it, Sesshoumaru?" she asked, lovingly cupping his cheek with one of her hands which bore the same magenta marks on his wrists.

Sesshoumaru was looking directly at her silvery orbs as he said in a little more than a whisper, "Do you think I can be as powerful as you or Father when I grow up?"

The Demon Lady wrapped her arms around her son's small form, and young hands hugged her back as she sought to keep him as close to her as she can. He may be young, but even at this tender age, he was aware that he was living under the shadow of two parents whose powers he had yet to comprehend. Other youkai obviously expected many things from him, and he was determined not to fail in their expectations.

"That is a choice you have to work hard for," she explained wisely, "a choice only you can take. You have the blood of the inuyoukai and the Elementals of the Moon flowing in your veins, and if your father and I had managed to go this far, you can, too."

Sesshoumaru said nothing, but he rubbed his face against his mother's silken robes, smiling at the fragrant scent which clung to her wherever she went. Words were not enough to explain how fond he was of Hanazuki. To him, no female could probably be better than her, and she understood his thoughts better than anyone else. He loved the way she spoke to him, for Hanazuki did not address him as a child like other youkai would. She always spoke to him as though he was her equal, patiently answering his questions of the world of grown-ups which no one else might have answered for him.

She _knew _he wasn't _simply_ a child; she _knew_ he would succeed in his prime endeavor…

A sudden burst of demon activity made both of them look up. Sesshoumaru stood up quickly; his mother followed suit, though in a more cautious manner. She had a very bad feeling about this...

"Mother, what is happening?" Sesshoumaru asked, without much a trace of worry in his voice.

They both felt the presence of unfamiliar youkai, masses and masses of them, stampeding their way. However, Sesshoumaru was not particularly mindful of them, for he believed that no other demon would dare face even a child as he because of his mother and father. Furthermore, he had Hanazuki with him. She was the most powerful female youkai alive; she could defeat any others of their kind. _She would keep him safe..._

Noticing that Hanazuki wasn't even answering, Sesshoumaru glanced at his mother. He was surprised to see her usually calm and impassive face laced with worry. Sesshoumaru knew instantly that something was not quite right.

"Mother...?"

The single word was drowned by the high and screechy laughter that arose around them. Nearly at once, the young silver-haired demon caught sight of human or humanoid figures in spiky armors that gleamed dully in the sunlight. Most of their faces were grotesque and disfigured, but there were a few whose faces were still recognizable enough to be human. Hanazuki made him move behind her, which only served to increase Sesshoumaru's confusion. Never had she made an action in the past to conceal him from other youkai; _what was the matter with her?_

Before he knew it, the multitude had encircled them both, surrounding them in a closely tightening circle. By now Sesshoumaru can see their evil-looking eyes and crooked smirks. He also noted that each one of them carried a weapon of bamboo spiked at the end to resemble spears.

They regarded him with what looked like cruelly amused looks on their faces, conferring with each other in a crude language. Sesshoumaru clutched at his mother's hand, and she instinctively returned his hold. She still stood tall and unmoving, and her grey eyes had assumed a steely glaze. As her son, he knew that this meant business. He regained his proud composure, glaring at the several unsightly entities near him. They laughed scornfully, and Sesshoumaru felt anger welling up from inside him. How dare they mock him, the Prince of the West...?

"The Master desires that Thing you possess," said one of them, directing the statement at Hanazuki. "He is particularly displeased that you wouldn't give in by friendly persuasion. It appears we have to resort to other means to get what we have come here for..."

Hanazuki let out a derisive laugh. She flicked away a few locks of her black violet hair from her face while her silvery oculars flashed.

"Friendly persuasion?" she said with an ironic edge in her voice. "Had Karatake ever used friendly persuasion? Your 'master' is nothing but a fool; who is he to think that I will yield to him?"

"To not yield to the Master has severe consequences..."

"Go back to that master of yours and tell him that if he wants It, he has to get through me first."

"He ordered us that we are not to return until we have gotten It."

"You amuse me with your stubbornness, worms of the earth," Hanazuki said coldly. Sesshoumaru can feel her aura beginning to flare up dangerously. "Your mere presence here disgusts me. Leave before you meet death in my hands."

The speaker of the malformed humanoid youkai appeared to take the threat seriously, for he readied his bamboo weapon and pointed it in combat position, to be followed by the rest of his army. Sesshoumaru did not move an inch, and neither did his mother. He couldn't understand what Hanazuki and the filthy entity were talking about. What did they want from his mother? Why can't they simply leave her alone?

The lesser demon Hanazuki spoke with earlier finally noticed Sesshoumaru, standing behind his mother. He noted that the youngling bore striking resemblance to the Demon Lady. No doubt this little dust of life was her son.

"Ah, so Lady Suien got busy with the Inu no Taishou and produced this dog of a child, eh?" he said with a jeer. The rest of his ugly underlings laughed alongside him. Sesshoumaru bit his lips, but Hanazuki gently squeezed his shoulder in a silent warning that he should control himself. To provoke an enemy would be a great mistake...

Although Sesshoumaru obeyed his mother instantly, he couldn't help but wonder why the other youkai called her Suien. She had told her son once that Suien was her true name, but not many youkai knew it. The fact that these vile animals knew Hanazuki's true name was already enough to trouble Sesshoumaru.

"Suppose we take your little boy and pull those pale tresses from his scalp before your eyes, would you still not hand It in to us?" the evil demon said craftily, his smirk widening.

"We can laugh while we hear him cry like the child that he is!" another of the disfigured demons added with malice.

Although they laughed evilly as one, Hanazuki said not a word in reply. They continued to taunt her and Sesshoumaru for a few more moments, but when they realized that mother and son refused to budge at their empty threats, they finally charged, their fury unleashed.

At once, Hanazuki sprang up and launched an immediate counterattack. She had been waiting for them to make the first move, and now it was her turn. She would kill them like the animals they were.

She gave several of the demons a taste of her bare fist, and they fell back with their faces smashed as though hit with a heavy iron club. She grabbed several of the bamboo spears as they were aimed at her, and they melted at the potent quality of her _Dokkasou_. She lashed out at many others, taking off their heads with a poisonous slash of her nails as they tried to go nearer.

Beside her, Sesshoumaru was also in action, all the lessons that he had learned so far under the guidance of his mother and father coming into play. He struck with the agility of a bird in flight, and many of the lesser demons were killed wondering how a young child could execute such deadly moves and exterminate them like his mother can.

However, due to his youth, he was not quite experienced with the flows of battle, and one of the furious youkai managed to pin him to the ground with its greasy claws clamped around his neck, squeezing the air out of him with a twisted smirk on its dark face, obviously enjoying the sight. A strangled cry left his throat, which immediately reached Hanazuki's ears.

At once, Hanazuki came to Sesshoumaru's aid. Abandoning her combat with the others, she placed a hand through the demon's heart and threw the sagging bulk of the dead body away from Sesshoumaru. But in her desire to protect her son, a humpbacked youkai which was larger than the others struck out with his bamboo spear and pierced her on her unprotected side.

Sesshoumaru's breath caught in his throat to hear his mother's grunt of pain. All of a sudden, a great wave of youki escaped from him as he leaped up and valiantly drove away the evil entities that were closing in on her.

"Leave my mother ALONE!" he shouted, spreading his arms wide as though to prevent them from nearing Hanazuki, who was crouched close to the ground, clutching her side in pain.

The malformed humanlike youkai drew back in fear at the great energy radiating from the small silver-haired demon child. The magenta stripes on his cheeks had begun to widen and turn jagged; his amber color of his eyes was drowned by the angry shade of red that spoke of his true demon form. Were they to witness the transformation of the only son of the great Inu no Taishou and Hanazuki-sama?

"Sesshoumaru!"

He looked back at his mother to hear her call him by his name. Sesshoumaru only had a few seconds to discern the gratitude and admiration in her beautiful silver orbs before she carried him in her arms and took advantage of their enemies' momentary state of trance to cut through their mass with her speed and escape to the nearby forest.

...o0o...

Hanazuki paused for a moment, looking anxiously around her before she put her son down in the little thicket covered with a dense layer of brush and leaves. She was breathing heavily, and her side still dripping blood.

"Mother!" Sesshoumaru held on to her, refusing to let go. Amidst the pain on her waist, it caused Hanazuki more distress to see tears threatening to spill unchecked from her precious one's eyes, which had returned to amber. "Please don't leave! You're hurt, Mother!"

Hanazuki knelt and met her son's eyes with her own. Sesshoumaru wanted to embrace her, but she pried his hands away and held them in her bloodstained palms.

"Don't cry now, Sesshoumaru," she said sternly, and he had no choice but to obey. He sniffed and forced himself to meet his mother's gaze.

Once he was completely calm, Hanazuki lowered her voice and said, "Do you remember all the times when we played hide and seek in the field?"

Sesshoumaru nodded, trying his best not to break with all the weight of emotions those memories gave him.

Hanazuki's lips broke into a painful smile. "You understand the danger of our situation. I want you to hide, Sesshoumaru. Hide yourself; hide your aura...everything that could give you away."

"But you always found me..."

"Oh, I would always find you, yes, but those insolent cowards won't. Don't give them a chance to find you." Hanazuki paused for a moment to let Sesshoumaru take in her words. Her wound throbbed, but she had to make sure he was safe, that he knew what to do just in case...the worst happens. The cries of their pursuers were growing louder in the distance.

"No matter what happens, _don't transform to your true form, Sesshoumaru. _Don't leave this place until your father comes to find you himself. I have placed a spell of illusion around this place; no one will find you unless you get out yourself. But if you need a sure weapon against them, I give you this."

From within the folds of her robes she drew out a knife about as long as a hand sheathed in simple black leather. She unsheathed the blade, and Sesshoumaru could see that the tip of the knife was broken off.

After giving him a look of the weapon, Hanazuki returned it to its sheath and pressed it on her son's palm, saying, "Use this only when all else fails. And..." a flicker of unreadable emotion passed through her eyes "...I would like you to pay close attention to this last request."

Sesshoumaru nodded fervently, closing his fingers over his mother's gift. Hanazuki's voice dropped to a mere whisper; clearly, she wanted no one but him to hear her.

"Do you still remember the Rhyme?"

Sesshoumaru tilted his head slightly. He struggled hard to remember the correct words, in the tenseness of their situation. His mother had taught him a mysterious rhyme, very much like a chant, since the first time he first learned the language of words. They had recited it together many times, but he didn't see much meaning in the words as they came from his lips.

Not waiting for his reply, Hanazuki whispered with an air of quiet pleading that was so rare of her, "Remember the Rhyme, Sesshoumaru. It will help you in the future, in ways that have yet to reveal themselves. Remember the Rhyme, and you shall remember me."

The pulse of his mother's words threatened to break Sesshoumaru's mask. "Mother, you _can't..._"

Hanazuki, however, kissed the Prussian blue crescent on his forehead and embraced him for quite a long time. Sesshoumaru tried very hard not to look at all the blood that had spilled on her robes, and he felt quite at fault for his mother's present state.

Another cry of their enemies pierced through the air, much closer than before. Hanazuki pulled apart from Sesshoumaru, whispering, "I love you dearly, my son."

Those were the last words Sesshoumaru ever heard from his mother. Once she disappeared out of the thicket, she never returned to him again. He needed no more words to understand what became of her. He knew that she had gone.

From the moment her aura faded from his senses, he knew that she had left for a place where not even he cannot follow her.

...o0o...

/Sniffles/ Well, that was kinda sad, wasn't it? And violent, too... Sorry for that and all the long delays. u.u Please, please, review please? (Goes on her knees...)

**Arwen, Dark Sorceress of Fate:** Whoo, I am glad someone checked out my drawings! Hehe, great minds think alike, huh? Sure, sure. ;) Sad to say, Bleach is not yet showing in our local TV stations, and we have no cable TV. See you around!

**Lolita Cale:** Thanks for your review! I may not be the greatest writer in the world, but I am glad many like my stories. ;)

**HaoXRose:** Thanks for the comment, and YES, I NEED REVIEWS! T.T

**purple and pink dreams:** YES! You finally submitted a review! Thankyouthankyouthankyou/huggles/

**ninalee-chan:** Yep, just love the concept of making original characters, huh? ;)

**Cold Kikyo: **Thanks for your review once again! I hope you keep on reading!

**Sapphire Snowflake** (yes, I know it's you! lol): Sa wakas! Nakareview ka na rin! Ngayong nakaregister ka na e 'di magsimula ka na rin sa story mo! Gogogogo! ;)


	7. Chapter 6: A Mother through a Son's Eyes

**VI: A Mother Through a Son's Eyes**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **I am glad many of my readers liked the last chapter even if it's rather bloody. It took me heck of a time to imagine Sesshy as a child. /Collapses on bed due to exhaustion/ Anyway, let's get back to our cute couple and see what's happening to them. Ahem, there's a _very_ little 'sexy' scene in here... -.-"

...o0o...

She thought the entire world had turned red. Around her, death and destruction prevailed. Bodies so twisted and malformed they were barely recognizable were littered throughout the barren land. Thick clouds of smoke made her choke, and they rose at great heights into the sky, turning day into night. Winds ripped and screamed at her; she could barely stand. She fell on her knees, but she clawed in desperation at the rocks which crumbled to dust between her fingers. He needed her; he is in grave danger...

Then she saw them, the two forms of equally different youkai. One was fair, and the other had a form too evil, too twisted and too hellish to describe. The devil-like entity lunged at the other demon, and Kikyou heard the dreadful sound of breaking metal as his sword failed to withstand the blow. She opened her mouth as though to scream, but no sound came out of her throat out of pure horror to see the enemy strike at him on his chest.

A snarl left his throat as his fangs were bared in pain. Spurts of blood came out of his mouth, and torrents more spilled out of the open wound. Still, the other youkai refused to show any form of mercy. It grabbed him by his silvery tresses and threw him against a rock wall which crumbled due to the extreme force of the blow. His body convulsed once and then became still, his amber eyes blankly open.

Her desire to reach her beloved gave her a burst of energy, and she was able to fight off the wind and smoke as she stumbled to bridge the distance between them. His adversary saw her, and swiped with its long claws at the ground beneath her feet, sending her up in the air.

Kikyou grunted in pain as she landed on some sharp rocks, making her skin bleed in many places. The youkai was going for her, raising its clawed limbs to finish her off just as it had finished off her mate...

A burst of neon green made her flinch. The hellish demon let out an inhuman scream as its back was seared by a poison which made skin and flesh burn off. He had heard her; he struggled to rise with what meager strength he had left, but he could hardly make it to his feet because of all the blood he had lost. Kikyou cried out to him to save his strength, but he paid no heed to her pleas. He would die protecting her...

To her dismay, their adversary managed to heal itself of the attack, healthy tissues growing over the body parts rotted by the toxic substance. It turned away from her and once more focused its attention on her lover.

"No! _No! _**NO!**" she screamed, struggling to get back on her feet and divert their enemy's attention, but the ground shook so hard that she no longer had any sense of balance. The youkai went for him in a steady pace, and he did not even make a move to escape.

"**_NO! DON'T!" _**

Her voice was drowned by screeching winds. A cloud of smoke obscured her view, but her ears nearly split when a cry which sounded almost canine reverberated throughout the scene of destruction. Blood splashed on her face, and she nearly fell into a swoon to see his body, broken and wounded, fall near her feet.

Like a crazed soul, she flung her arms around him and held him close. She ran her hand over his blood-drained cheeks, and his beautiful golden eyes blinked open weakly to feel her cold tears wetting his face. She had followed him to this place; she refused to abandon him until the very end. He smiled, knowing how much she loved him. He exerted a great effort to raise his hand and touch her tear-streaked face for one last time.

He would die, but he would not be alone...it would be in her arms...exactly the way he would have wanted it to be.

"Don't leave me, Sesshoumaru!" she half-sobbed, half-screamed, grabbing hold of his limp hand and pressing it against her lips, against her cheeks, as though by doing it she would transfer some of her own meager energy to him.

But she only received silence in return. She felt his body sink against her as his eyes finally assumed a glassy luster, but his lips still remained as they were, smiling. Sobbing, Kikyou rubbed her cheek against his deathly pale forehead, kissing the mark of the crescent moon located at its very center. She had lost him...

The ground beneath her opened with a roar. Flames erupted out of the fissure, and she could make out the demonic face of his murderer through the smoke. It struck at her, ripping her from her hold on the body of her beloved and throwing her into the fire. She felt the cold touch of metal as shackles clamped themselves around her ankles, wrists and neck, dragging her into the furnace.

Strangely, Kikyou thought she heard the cry of a newborn child through the loud crackling of the flames, and those were the last sounds that came to her ears before she was consumed by the fire in her unexpected pyre.

...o0o...

"Kikyou-sama!"

"Wake up, Kikyou-sama!"

"It was a nightmare, Kikyou-sama!"

Kikyou's mahogany eyes opened wide, and she sat up on the futon, rigid and breathing heavily as though she had battled youkai for seven days straight. Jaken and Rin were beside her, the latter nearly in tears as she clutched on to the older woman's arm.

Kikyou's other hand clasped at her chest, but she barely felt her heart thudding in a fast pace within her. She did not appear to see her companions as she muttered Sesshoumaru's name over and over. She looked as though she had gone out of her mind; nothing could seem to get her out of her dazed state.

"Sesshoumaru-sama just went out for a walk, Kikyou-sama!" Rin pleaded, her tears making wet circles on Kikyou's sleeve. Kikyou shuddered and fell back on the futon. She covered her face with her other sleeve, her body convulsing as her tears spilled unchecked out of her eyes.

Jaken was also close to a state of panic. "By the...she has gone out of her rocker!" he half-screamed. "We have to calm her down, Rin, or she might lose the child!" The toady demon attempted to nudge Kikyou's sleeve away from her face, but Kikyou swatted him right on the nose, making him fall over on his back.

"Kikyou-sama!" Rin cried, nearly screaming now. Where had Sesshoumaru-sama gone? Only he can be able to calm her down now. What could Kikyou-sama had seen in her nightmare? It must be really terrifying; why else would she be driven close to madness by it?

"_What's going on here?"_

The even tones of the taiyoukai's voice sounded so out of place in the scene of panic. He had returned to his fortress after taking a hopefully mind-clarifying stroll, but he was alarmed to see that Jaken and Rin had lit a lamp in the quarters he shared with Kikyou. Even the dead can hear their crying and screams; what had gone wrong now?

His amber eyes narrowing, he bypassed the stairs and verandah and leaped straight into the room, impatiently pushing apart the screens which sought to hide what lay within. Kikyou was twisting and writhing on their futon, warding off the hands of Rin and Jaken as they tried to calm her. She cried out his name as though in possession of an evil spirit; her long raven hair lay in complete disarray and her dark eyes were out of focus. Sesshoumaru's normally emotionless face immediately took on an expression of alarm and concern to see his mate in such a pitiful state.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken cried; spreading himself at his lord's feet. "We tried our best, but we couldn't calm her–"

"Any fool can see that," Sesshoumaru snapped, impatience slowly adding fuel to the fire of his temper. So many unpleasant events had happened in a single day, and even his own wife wasn't spared from misfortune. "Now tell me what troubles Kikyou so."

"We don't know; we don't know, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin said, nearly choking on her words. The little girl looked more frightened and weary than his toady retainer. "We stayed away from Kikyou-sama as Sesshoumaru-sama told us to do, but we suddenly heard her cry out as though in pain. We immediately rushed here, and we found out that Kikyou-sama was having some sort of nightmare. It took us long to wake her, and when she did, she was like this!"

Rin wasn't even close to finishing her narrative when Sesshoumaru knelt close to his mate's restless form. One of his hands reached out to touch her, but Kikyou appeared to be too detached from her conscious self to be able to recognize friend and foe. Whatever it was that troubled her, Sesshoumaru had a great feeling that it would be connected to the day's events, when she and Rin were attacked by the dragon out in the forest...when Kikyou spoke of his mother whom he never mentioned to anyone for a great many centuries now.

Her slender hand struck out as though to slap her own husband's hand, but Sesshoumaru caught it in a strong but gentle grip whilst whispering her name.

"_Kikyou..."_

That single word broke through all the turmoil that erupted in Kikyou's mind. At once, as though by some divine grace, her strangled thoughts cleared and became focused on the voice that stood out from the blackness like a dazzling star.

Sesshoumaru didn't realize that he had been holding his breath for such a long time. He stayed perfectly still to anticipate Kikyou's reaction; Jaken and Rin were doing the same, the former with a rather sore spot on the nose. The silver-haired youkai sighed softly in relief to feel Kikyou's formerly rigid hand relax in his hold, and she stopped thrashing about like an animal in pain. The entire room fell silent; even Kikyou's sobbing ceased as her beloved gently rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.

Gradually, Kikyou opened her eyes, fervently wishing that his voice wasn't an illusion, that it was he who now held on to her hand like a comforting presence. When her mahogany orbs met Sesshoumaru's golden oculars, her tears came anew and she threw herself in his arms, frightened and urgent. Kikyou's grip was very tight, painful even, but Sesshoumaru put the pain on the back of his mind and ran his hands over her back to steady her.

"Sesshoumaru-sama...?" Rin silently inquired of her lord, her young face dripping with sweat due to the tension.

"I can handle this," Sesshoumaru said softly, his fingers running through the soft strands of his wife's long hair. "Go to bed now."

"But Sesshoumaru-sama..." Jaken tried to protest, but the Demon Lord's dangerous glare prevented any more words from coming out of his mouth. He and the little girl bowed to acknowledge the order and left the room, Jaken rubbing at his nose which was still aching due to Kikyou's swipe.

Now that he was alone with his raven-haired mate, Sesshoumaru let her cry against him. He said nothing, but he continued to hold her close, to tell Kikyou that he was there...that she was not alone. For a long while, they lay unmoving in each other's arms. The lamp burning on the floor a few feet from them had died before any of them said a word.

Sesshoumaru felt Kikyou's previously erratic and hurried breathing even out, and her grip slackened. He loosened his embrace slightly to feel her stir in his arms. Kikyou looked up at him, her sweaty features illuminated only by the moonlight which entered through the wide open door. Sesshoumaru tenderly brushed aside the few stray hairs which had fallen over her face.

"Tell me that it is you, Sesshoumaru," she said in a whisper, gingerly reaching out to touch his face, fearing that he might disappear the moment her fingers made contact with his skin. "Tell me that you are not a spirit, and that you live yet still."

"It is me, Kikyou," Sesshoumaru replied, wondering deep inside why she said those sorts of things. He closed his eyes briefly when he felt her caress his cheek. Oh, how his body yearned for her touch! "I am here..."

Kikyou said nothing, but she slowly inched her face closer to his, and for a fleeting moment, she looked deeply into his eyes before capturing his lips in a kiss. Her hands made their way to his spiked armor, and Sesshoumaru got her silent message. He complied with her plea, and they pulled apart for a brief moment so he can remove that part of his garments.

Once he had discarded his armor and his two swords, Kikyou immediately assaulted his lips. She loosened her lover's haori around the neck, her fingers tracing a path down to the warm, bare skin below his neck. Likewise, Sesshoumaru's hands were busy, gently pulling open the white blouse she wore underneath the silken blue robe and exposing a thin strip of pale skin running down the center of her chest.

Kikyou moaned slightly as Sesshoumaru licked the side of her neck where he had left his mark years before, when they first sealed their love in a firefly-illuminated glade. The bellflower-patterned robe she wore over her other garments slipped a little below her shoulders, but Kikyou didn't mind. She closed her eyes, reliving the memory. How long ago was it? How many more years will pass before a far greater authority will separate them from each other...?

She was driven from the reverie of her mate's passionate caresses by the tiny bit of life in her womb. Their child seemed to admonish them in its own little way, giving her such a strong kick that even Sesshoumaru felt it. At once, Kikyou recalled the now eminent danger her husband unknowingly faced, and she was deeply thankful to the unborn child for reminding her that they had so little time.

Sesshoumaru frowned slightly when Kikyou pushed him away rather strongly. The soft pelt of fur which he usually slung over his right shoulder had fallen off. What he had done wrong now? He was surprised at the sudden arousing of her passion after a rather unstable state, and he chose to follow her along. But now, Kikyou's face was hidden in the shadow, and her hands were clenched in fists. Sesshoumaru thought she was crying again, but when she raised her eyes, her face was steady and serious.

She took his hands in hers, and Sesshoumaru felt that as though Kikyou's hands had turned to ice. Though she may look calm on the exterior, she was afraid; he knew her enough to understand that.

"What frightens you so, Kikyou?" he asked, squeezing her hands affectionately.

"I found out certain things," she replied, urgency lacing her tone. "Someone...someone desires to kill you, Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru nearly let out a laugh. No one can kill him; many have tried, and all of them had failed miserably. Surely, Kikyou understands that? But Kikyou read what he was thinking, and she tightened her hold on his hands to the point of pain. Frustration at his arrogance almost broke her calm mask.

"You may take it lightly, Sesshoumaru," she said, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Even I find it hard to believe, but this will not be like anything that had happened before. You have a very dangerous enemy, and...and..." She broke off, not wishing to tell the dreaded words the second time. However, Kikyou steadied herself and met him in the eye. "You know I _can't_ lose you, Sesshoumaru..."

"Is this what you saw in your nightmare?" Sesshoumaru asked softly, though without a trace of jest. By now he realized that Kikyou was very serious with the matter, and it meant that he had to take it seriously too.

Kikyou took in her breath rather sharply as she shook her head, recalling the very horror and pain she felt in the vision. Sesshoumaru read her reaction, and he immediately said, "Let's not speak of it if it will cause more pain on your part..."

"No; you have to know," Kikyou broke him off immediately, cupping his cheek with her delicate hand. "I have to get it out of my conscience before it consumes me. I dreamt that you fought with another youkai... I can't acutely describe your opponent's face, but he looked like a perfect embodiment of evil, and...and you lost to him. I tried to help you, but I could not even get close... You tried to protect me...but it cost you your life... _You died in my arms..."_

Kikyou's voice faltered. Sesshoumaru thought she might not be able to continue, but she set her jaw and loosened her painful hold on her husband's hands. "Then the ground opened up beneath me. Fire came out, and I was thrown into it. But before the fire could fully consume me, I heard a cry...a baby's cry. I am positive I heard our own child, Sesshoumaru."

Silence came between them both. A cloud passed over the moon, and they were robed in darkness for a few minutes. When light came out again, Sesshoumaru looked away and fixed his gaze at the newly uncloaked half moon, whispering, "It is only a dream, Kikyou." But she can see that he was rather troubled by it.

"You may say that it is only a dream," Kikyou pressed on, "but the dragon that attacked Rin and I earlier revealed some alarming things. Please listen to me, beloved." She reached out and touched his cheek. Sesshoumaru turned away his line of vision from the moon and once again looked at his wife. They were both serious, and not a trace of a smile could be found on their faces.

"The dragon was a minion of a certain being it called 'the Master,'" Kikyou explained, speaking slowly so as to give him the time to take her words in. "It said something about your bloodline. That, I could not fully understand. It mentioned someone by the name of Lady of the Tsukisawa, and judging by what I have heard, she was an enemy of the Master. She sealed the Master before she died, the dragon said, but her seal is now beginning to lose its power. In a week, he will break free, and he will seek you out, Sesshoumaru. He will seek you out to kill you."

Sesshoumaru was deep in thought, and Kikyou could not read his expression. "Why would that despicable 'Master' as he calls himself want to destroy me?"

"I could not quite understand it myself," Kikyou replied thoughtfully. "The dragon said that you are the only descendant of the Lady of the Tsukisawa, and in order for them to have their revenge against her, they would have to make her bloodline fail once and for all." Sesshoumaru noted that her choice of words avoided mentioning anything that will speak directly of him dying. She seemed to be more perturbed about it than he was.

"I dispatched of the dragon, Sesshoumaru, but it left me weakened. I passed out, and when I awoke, I didn't know where I was." Her tone became more bitter, more reproaching. "Why did you not try to find me, Sesshoumaru?"

"Kikyou!" Sesshoumaru found himself retorting. "Don't think I did not try to seek for you. I spent the whole half of the day searching for you in the forest, but for some reason, the trail of your scent was weak and I could hardly sense your aura at all. When I found you, night had fallen, and..."

"And?" Kikyou asked, listening carefully to his explanation with a frown.

"Never mind," Sesshoumaru said, choosing to not tell her about his encounter with the white miasma. "But I found you indeed, and I took you here. I went out for a stroll under the moonlight, and when I came back, I found out that you were tormented by the nightmare you spoke of. You know perfectly well what happened afterwards."

Kikyou pondered silently on his words, but she was a little bit angered because she can tell that he was hiding something from her.

"Well, that wasn't all that happened!" she said. "When I awoke, I saw a demoness...you may not believe me, Sesshoumaru, but she looked so like you! She also had a moon mark on her forehead, but her hair was a dark violet, and her eyes were like silver. What's more, she also had shinidamachuu, but hers were more warlike than mine. She said she knew you, and that you would come for me. She also said something rather perturbing, that our bond has something to do with fulfilling a hidden vow; I don't know! But she was so motherly, and she lulled me to sleep..." Kikyou stopped, noticing that Sesshoumaru had on an expression rather unusual for him. His amber eyes were wide open, and she saw something like surprise written in them.

"Did I say something...?" Kikyou muttered, but out of the blue, Sesshoumaru took her by the shoulder and forced her to meet his eye.

"Did you not know who she was?" he asked with a sense of urgency that was so unlike him.

"She said her name was Hanazuki..." Kikyou said immediately, rather frightened by the look in his golden orbs.

Sesshoumaru let go of her then, and he looked away, his expression unchanged. Kikyou watched him cautiously when he moved away from her slightly. But when he closed his eyes and clenched his hands, his claws drawing blood from his own palm, she shed her paralysis. Kikyou moved behind him and embraced him around his shoulders. Sesshoumaru leaned against her, taking in her fragrant scent. She whispered loving words into his ears, and he let her soothe him.

"I am sorry..." she tried to say, but he shook his head firmly in a gesture that meant she had nothing to apologize about. He cupped her cheeks and kissed her, but after a few moments, Kikyou broke off from the kiss, determined to know what caused him to act like the way he did earlier. "What is it about Lady Hanazuki that affects you so, Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru's hands left her face, and he once more turned to look at the moon. In the silvery light, Kikyou discerned a rather sad look in his eyes. What he said later shocked Kikyou entirely.

"She is my mother."

Kikyou, at first, simply knelt there, too lost for words. It occurred to her that Sesshoumaru never openly talked about his mother, his parents in general, except for a few tidbits about his father, the great Inu no Taishou, whose fame was spread even beyond the Western Lands. But it all fell into place, why Hanazuki so resembled Sesshoumaru, why she said that she was extremely worried for him, _why Hanazuki addressed her as her daughter..._ Sesshoumaru was her son, then could it be...?

"She is the Lady of the Tsukisawa, after the place where she was conceived," Sesshoumaru's words made Kikyou's thoughts clear. "But what I could not understand, beloved, is why she chose this time to reveal her presence to us. I saw her too, Kikyou. She led me to you when you were lost, but I refused to believe that it was her until now."

"She probably understood the danger that we are now in," Kikyou said. "She could not bear to watch you die no more than I do."

"I know, Kikyou. But one thing contradicts all these. Mother had died when I was a child."

This new face of the mystery did not ease Kikyou's troubles one bit. She then recalled that she did not feel any kind of mortal aura coming from the Demon Lady. But she did smell a fragrance she could not recognize...

"How was she like to you, Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru sighed; he laid himself down and rested his head on Kikyou's lap, looking at the half-moon. Kikyou ran her hands through his silvery hair.

"Those events are better left in the past," he said softly. "Besides, you know that I am not fond of telling long stories."

"But will you tell me about her?" Kikyou asked in an equally soft, slightly pleading tone. "Will you choose to retrieve those memories from the past, for me?"

Sesshoumaru smiled slightly. Clever of Kikyou; she knew that he can hardly refuse such a thing to her. He lovingly patted her cheek with his finger before his face turned serious once again. As the story behind the demoness of the silvery eyes unfolded, Kikyou realized that it had a far greater depth than what she originally thought.

"I was very close to Mother when she was still alive, closer than I ever was with my father. She recognized my potential even as a child, and she would devote her time in coaching me so I will be able to grow up into a proper taiyoukai when time comes."

"What kind of coaching did you mean?" Kikyou interrogated when he paused slightly in his narrative.

"She encouraged me to hone my powers even at a tender age, and she strove to help me whenever she could. She would not compliment me openly, but she showed me in one way or another that she was pleased with me. Mother was also known to be Father's equal, the only youkai to match him in power. But unlike Father, she kept to herself often and rarely used her powers unless it was absolutely necessary. She was silent for most of the time, to the point of coldness."

'So like her son,' Kikyou thought to herself, but she said nothing and continued stroking his platinum mane.

"She died when I was still in the very young, not of a natural illness whatsoever, but killed. We were alone, Mother and I, when an army of undead human corpses came upon us. Now listen closely: our enemies also made mention of a certain 'Master' who demanded something from Mother. What it was, I don't know. He must be the same person the dragon was talking about, but Okaa-sama called him by something like his true name. That, I could not remember.

Since she refused to give in to our enemy, a fight ensued. She was wounded mortally on her side protecting me, but we managed to escape with those hateful beings on our trail. Mother then hid me in the forest while she went away. To distract the undead away from me, I guess. I never saw her again; the moment I could no longer feel her aura, I know that she had died."

He was silent for a time. Kikyou squeezed his shoulder gently, and she sought to imagine how he must have felt at that time. A young Sesshoumaru in Hanazuki's arms...it must have been a poignant scene, but to lose one's mother while young... Kikyou marveled anew at her husband's strength; she extremely admired those who managed to live through such suffering.

"...Word got to Father about what happened to us, and he immediately searched for us in the forest. He found me, and together, we searched in vain for my mother. We never found her, and from that time on, my relationship with my father had been prickly. I set my goals to becoming powerful, and defeat Father when time comes, my mother's words ringing in my ears."

"But there came Inuyasha's mother," Kikyou whispered. How painful it must be for him! His mother's death must have steeled his heart so much that he grew up to be a rather power-hungry and indifferent individual. Did Hanazuki shed tears to realize what person her son had become? Or would have she allowed him to be that way? After all, the way of the youkai differed from how humans saw life.

"That wench," Sesshoumaru muttered, distaste clear in his voice. "Apart from being the cause of my father's death, I felt that she took away my mother's place, a place that was hers alone. Throughout these years, Okaa-sama's shadow still haunts me. I presume that was why I felt so incomplete before you came to my life, my love. I considered her to be the most important figure of my youth, but because her passing made a far greater scar on my being than the passing of my father, I never spoke of her to anyone again, except to you."

"Have I been a good wife to you, darling?" Kikyou asked uncertainly. Now that Sesshoumaru told her about Hanazuki, she felt that she lived in the shadow of her mother-in-law. She wondered if she had any influence over her husband as lasting as his mother's teachings which molded him into the person he was at present.

Sesshoumaru knew what she was thinking of, for he raised his head and touched her cheek with one of his hands. "I loved you two, Mother and you, in two equally different ways," he said to ease her spirit. "Don't consider yourself to be a replacement of her, Kikyou. No one can replace you in my heart, the way no one can replace her as my mother. You touched my life in ways different from her, and I value your love as much as I value hers." His hand roamed to her belly, and the child within stirred, as though recognizing its father's caress.

Kikyou smiled slightly but said not a word. She continued to run her hands through her husband's silvery tresses and they both looked up at the moon, thinking about how things had begun to unravel the way they had.

...o0o...

The shallow waters stirred as golden talons dipped themselves into the crystalline liquid. As every ripple shimmered beneath the light of the moon, sapphire eyes raised themselves up and gazed at the waning orb in the heavens.

"Lady Suien, he will come to me soon..."

...o0o...

**SecretAgentX: **Wee! Thanks for the email! I am touched that some people really liked Kikumo. Don't worry, as a little bit of her past and her other encounters with Sesshoumaru in the Western Lands will be revealed as the chapters come by.

**Cold Kikyo: **Thank you, thank you, thank you for reviewing even if I seem to update once in a blue moon! ;p

**Angel: **I am glad you like my story... Is that what you were trying to say? O.o

**ninalee-chan: **Aaaw, I know I kinda got sentimental over there. I had absolutely NO idea on how Sesshy behaved as a child, so I had to rely on my imagination for most of the chapter. :D

**Absent of Grace: **Yeah, it's a tragedy. I don't like killing off my original characters, but for the sake of the series, one has to do so sometimes. See ya! ;)

Whoever you are, thank you for the little review!

**The East Wind Melts the Ice: **Yay! Thanks for the compliment! Honestly, didn't know how I was going to write the last chapter... At least it didn't turn out horrible or anything... -.-

**Gossamer Wind: **Yep, since vacation is near, I presume I can write more often now. ;)

Well, how was it? Will Sesshy and Kiky be able to stop disaster before it will strike them? And who is the new mystery character at the end of the chapter? ;p See you in Chapter seven!


	8. Chapter 7: Mizutori & the Enchanted Pond

**VII: Mizutori and the Enchanted Pond**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **My, my, it seems my workload is non-ending, even if it's now my vacation. It took me heck of a time (not to mention lots of tears), to get myself cleared in the various school departments. T.T Now, my Dad commissioned me for a website-making job for the summer...well, it's _nice_ to have something to pass my time, but it's _not_ as easy as it looks. I have to forget my own plans of reactivating my website because of this. Let's hope that I won't have to pause in my ficwriting to meet my deadlines... -.-'

...o0o...

Slender fingers twitched ever so slightly as Kikyou began to show the first signs of returning to the world of the sun after a deep slumber. She shifted her body slightly in order to make most of the warmth and comfort the soft, cushiony pelt of fur offered her. The former priestess did not want to wake yet; worried because of the disturbing events that transpired the previous day, she felt as though she hadn't slept at all. Was Sesshoumaru extremely troubled as well? Kikyou felt through her fluffy blanket, searching for him; she wanted to hold him, feel his comforting caresses...

It took several minutes for her to realize that she was alone on the futon. Kikyou's mahogany eyes blinked open at once and she sat up. The sun had just risen above the mountain peaks, and she flinched at the sudden brightness. The mists made a spectacular display as it took on different shapes and shadows in the mountain light, but nothing could have improved Kikyou's mood.

Where was her husband? How dare he leave her when she wanted him close, when she needed him most...? Kikyou's hands angrily clamped themselves around Sesshoumaru's fur which she had been using as her blanket. Furious tears sprung to her eyes. Although she loved her husband more than anything the whole mortal world could give her, he was her most hated person at the moment. How dare he..._how dare he..._

Sparing numerous mental curses at Sesshoumaru for not being with her, Kikyou heatedly threw the pelt off her body. Painfully, she rose to her feet, her body feeling unusually black and blue. Her baby seemed to weigh her down like a millstone in her womb, and an equally heavy feeling was on her chest.

Pulling the screens together to grant her a little privacy, Kikyou retreated to a shadowy corner of the room to change her garments. She took off the bellflower-pattered robe and the white kimono she wore beneath. Changing into a scarlet hakama and white blouse reminiscent of her miko days, she paused to catch her breath. The two bumps on her chest strained against the simple cotton robe she wore, and she readjusted the tie which held the cloth in place.

By now, Kikyou was fully aware of the changes her body was undergoing in preparation for her child's birth. Her breasts had swelled, and many a moment, she could feel her nipples aching. She blushed, thinking about what kind of thoughts might have revolved in Sesshoumaru's mind when she told him about her discomforts. But then, he had been extremely protective of her, never even leaving her side whenever she felt too queasy to leave their bed. But now...

"Kikyou?"

Kikyou's temper began to boil the moment she heard him, but she pursed her lips and refused to face him. Sesshoumaru had gently tapped on the closed screens before carefully peering within, wondering what his mate is up to. Noticing that she was in the corner, almost a part of the shadows, he went in and came close to her.

"Are you unwell, beloved?" Sesshoumaru asked her, his brows creasing together slightly in a worried expression. Why wouldn't she want to face him?

"Go away!" Kikyou muttered, her fingers grabbing handfuls of her scarlet hakama and squeezing the cloth tightly in her palms.

'Mood-swinging again, koi?' Sesshoumaru thought to himself as he proceeded more cautiously now. As he had learned over the past months, he knew that he had to be extra-patient with his child-laden mate. Kikyou moping was relatively mild compared to her wrathful temper when Sesshoumaru unwittingly incurred her annoyance at various times during the start of her pregnancy.

"Are you angry at me, Kikyou?" he asked, tenderly placing a hand on her shoulder. Kikyou brushed him away rather roughly, which did not surprise him at all.

"You tend to ask stupid questions sometimes, don't you?" Kikyou retorted, pure irritation evident in her tone that he would ask her such a thing. As if it wasn't obvious! By now, Sesshoumaru can see the furious tears threatening to spill from her dark-colored oculars. "I hate you!"

Sesshoumaru chose to overlook this rather cold statement. He might have taken it personally years before, but he had gotten so used to Kikyou berating him with similar angry declarations that her previous words only caused a momentary flicker in his amber eyes.

"Now, what have I done to upset you?" Sesshoumaru spoke more slowly this time. He didn't touch her; he knew only too well that she did not want that for the moment.

But Kikyou refused to answer. A muffled sob came out of her lips and she buried her face in her sleeves as she began to cry. She moved farther away from Sesshoumaru, pressing her body against the corner of the chamber. To Sesshoumaru, she resembled a poor child who had just received a beating from its parent.

The silver-haired taiyoukai tried to wipe away her tears and coax her back to the light, but when Kikyou swatted him, missing his face a few inches, he let out a defeated sigh and stood up. If she wanted some time alone, then he would give it to her. Such matters that he had wanted to inform her can wait...or could they, really?

Kikyou's sobbing only increased in intensity the moment she heard Sesshoumaru's footsteps moving away from her. This time, she chose to abandon her place in the corner and she threw herself at her beloved, her fists beating at him like a child in a temper tantrum. It took Sesshoumaru some time to calm her, but after several moments of awkward caresses and furious beatings, Kikyou lay quiet in his arms. Sesshoumaru noted her garb, how extremely reminded him of her days as the keeper of the Shikon no Tama. Such old days seemed so long ago...

The Demon Prince could not help but smile slightly, half out of amusement and half out of irony. He never understood her human nature; how she could manage to smile at one moment and then cry in a single heartbeat. But oh! How he would suffer through all that...just to be with her...because he loved her.

"Are you all right now?" Sesshoumaru whispered as Kikyou rubbed her face against the hollow of his neck. He felt Kikyou nod, and they pulled apart slightly to meet each other's eyes.

"I wanted you close yet you were not here when I woke up..." Kikyou muttered, her eyes beginning to turn misty once again. Sesshoumaru kissed her trembling lips. She closed her eyes, and he wiped away the few drops of tears that had trickled down his beloved's soft cheeks. When their lips parted, Kikyou sniffled and bowed her head.

"I am sorry, darling," Sesshoumaru whispered, placing a finger underneath Kikyou's chin and raising her head to meet his eyes. "I thought you did not want me close..."

"How could you think of such a thing?" Kikyou half-screamed, clutching on tightly to her beloved's red and white haori. "You know I could not bear to watch you die...!"

She broke off, and by then she remembered the present threat to her husband's life. Kikyou urgently held his hands, saying, "What about the person who wants to kill you? We have to do _something._ We cannot just wait for him to strike you down-"

"Hush, Kikyou," Sesshoumaru said, placing a finger on her lips. Kikyou's eyes widened, and for a moment she considered retorting, but the serious look in Sesshoumaru's golden oculars made her change her mind.

"Don't think I am being idle," he explained. "I spent the whole night thinking up of a plan, and I guess we have just the right time to clear up my mother's mystery before our enemy breaks its seal."

"How can you be so sure?" Kikyou replied doubtfully, her eyebrows crinkling together in a frown.

Sesshoumaru's lips curved up in a grin. "We are going to pay a visit to a certain friend of Mother's."

...o0o...

In a short while, they had left the fortress, Rin and Jaken sparing their older companions rather puzzled looks as to where and why they were going.

"Kikyou-sama, where are we off to?" Rin chirped of Kikyou, her chocolate brown eyes expectant.

Kikyou, riding on Ah-Un with the little girl, was too deeply absorbed in her thoughts that Rin's words barely penetrated her ears.

"Uh...go and ask Sesshoumaru, Rin," she replied, feeling a little bit too lethargic to formulate a structured and intricate reply. The former priestess had brought along her bow and arrows, obviously a cautious gesture which resulted from their encounter with a malevolent youkai the day before.

Rin tilted her head slightly in confusion, but she asked the same question to Sesshoumaru, who was walking slightly ahead of them.

"Where are we going, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Ask Jaken," Sesshoumaru replied immediately. Evidently, he was in no mood to talk.

"Jaken-sama, where-"

"Oh, shut up, Rin!" the toady demon retorted even before the little girl could finish her question.

Rin pursed her lips and turned away with her nose in the air. "Fine, Jaken-sama!" she replied, and hardly spoke again for most of the trip's duration. In truth, Jaken himself could not answer her question. Why, indeed, did Sesshoumaru-sama and this woman suddenly choose to go off and travel, especially considering Kikyou's state? But Jaken was too dominated by his fear and awe of Sesshoumaru to even question his decisions, and trust that former miko to not reveal to her mate's retainer any of their lord's whereabouts which he told her alone.

Sesshoumaru's sharp sense of hearing caught a nearly indiscernible whimper from his beloved, and he at once looked over his shoulder to check on Kikyou.

"Are you all right, Kikyou?" he asked, a slightly worried edge in his voice.

Kikyou looked up with a bit of surprise written in her eyes, but she nodded quickly to ease his troubled spirits at least a bit. The Demon Lord gazed at her carefully, but in a moment, he returned his gaze back on the path they were taking. Kikyou bit her upper lip slightly.

Alas, he can sense her misgivings; he was aware of her uneasiness, and his heart reached out to her. Kikyou ran a hand over the growing bulge on her belly, noticing that their child was not as active as usual. Did it feel its mother's pain and worry, too? Was it even aware of the possibility that it might not even have the chance to gaze at its father's face? Kikyou was unsure, but the mere thought of it, raising their child alone, was enough to drive her into despair.

Looking at her mate's direction, she sighed slightly at the sight of his silvery hair. Sesshoumaru had tried to discourage her from going. Kikyou understood that he had her best intentions at heart, but being stubborn and restless creature that she was, she would not have herself left out simply because of her pregnancy. Kikyou sought to help her husband in any way she can, but now she was having doubts if she will be of any help at all. She might only be extra luggage in his eyes; but for the love of the former priestess, Sesshoumaru wouldn't express it to anyone, let alone her.

Kikyou hastily shook off those dismal thoughts from her mind. 'He _needs_ me,' she scolded herself. 'My bow and arrows are beneficial to him. I carry his child; _he would not abandon me...'_

Or would he, really?

"_I value your love as much as I value hers."_

Hers? Of course, who else can it be, but Hanazuki? Her mate's words from the previous night rang in her ears. Doubt, like an old companion, began to envelop her being. Is it really possible that Sesshoumaru, the great youkai lord, ruler of the Western Lands, took her, a human, as his mate? Is it really possible that he would care for a woman and her hanyou child, especially considering his distaste for his late father's liaison with a human lady? To be respected and remembered like Hanazuki before her...a rather impossible thought, isn't it?

Kikyou's mahogany eyes roamed to her surroundings, but she hardly saw the majestic trees that rose at towering heights around them, or even heard the chirping of birds as they flew from branch to branch. She only felt this kind of doubt once before, back when Kikumo was still alive. Kikyou had also questioned Sesshoumaru's love back then, equally aware of her rivalry with the youkai princess. But Kikumo had died...and so had Hanazuki. Strange, isn't it? How one can be in the shadow of people long since dead...

As inconspicuously as possible she reached into her sleeve, and Kikyou's fingers made contact with a slender object she had placed in the pocket-like portion of her sleeve. No one, not even Sesshoumaru, had seen her insert the hair stick there shortly before they left. When Kikyou was packing her weapons, she came across the hair ornament lying on the floor, forgotten. Without a thought, she picked it up and brought it along, the only relic the Deer youkai left behind in her care.

After wiping away the dust that had accumulated around the object, the hair stick had regained its original beauty, the tiny glass chrysanthemum glistening at the top of the blue jade handle. As Kikyou ran her fingers through the soft green tassel dangling from the chrysanthemum, she wondered if she would ever have the chance to return it to Kikumo's kin, the shikayoukai.

Although Kikumo never stated that she wanted to have the hair stick returned to her people, Kikyou thought that it would be better off back to those who had brought it to being. She had never used the powers of the hair stick, choosing to keep it only as a reminder of Sesshoumaru's past lover. In the hands of the Deer Demons, surely, they would be able to make most of their late Princess' relic...

None of those in their company noticed that several little birds that had been fluttering above them for many moments now had flown away, bringing with them a message meant for one of their kin...

...o0o...

Hours passed. By now, it was late in the afternoon, and the sun would set in an hour. Neither Kikyou nor her other companions had any idea as to where Sesshoumaru was taking them, but she knew that she had to trust him. Only he knew their path; only he knew the person they are searching for...

If there was a person among them who was most affected by the arduous journey, it would be Kikyou. Sesshoumaru had ordered them to halt many times throughout the day so his mate could get some rest. At one point in their journey, he had ridden with her and she had fallen asleep leaning against him. But not once did Kikyou complain, and he was touched at how silently she bore the discomfort of traveling while with child, for the sake of her beloved.

Sesshoumaru was extremely worried about Kikyou. If only she had stayed at home, she wouldn't have to bear all this. But then, if she stayed in their fortress, he was unsure if she would remain safe. Who knows what other minions the Master would set loose upon them...

By now, it was too late to change things. They were near their destination, and now what was left to hope for was that the trip was worth the while. Sesshoumaru had led them to a place none of his other companions had ever been before, much farther than they had ever gone through the vast lands of the West.

After passing many a hilly region laced with countless streamlets and boggy pockets, they had finally come upon a stretch of land covered with a kind of weed which grew taller than a man. Belts of mist constantly floated over the desolate region, making it look even gloomier with the coming of dusk. Sesshoumaru would have made their journey shorter by flying, but the mist, not to mention the possible danger of revealing themselves to the elusive danger of his late mother's enemy, made him choose otherwise.

"Stay here with Rin and Ah-Un, Jaken," Sesshoumaru ordered his toad-like retainer, who hardly heard the order because he was dozing off on Ah-Un's rear. Rin, herself, was sleeping soundly on Kikyou's lap. Some kind of demon energy emanated from within the grasses, and he decided that it was time that he should go on his own. Sparing his wife a rather concerned look, he added, "I don't see any reason to make you suffer further. You do not have to go."

But Kikyou had taken hold of his hand and shook her head defiantly. "I have gone so far," said she, gently rousing Rin and helping her move onto Ah-Un. "I don't want to turn back now." After several moments of thinking and carefully observing the determined look in her mahogany oculars, Sesshoumaru acquiesced and helped her dismount.

"Will it take long, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin said with a yawn.

"It might," Sesshoumaru replied, guiding Kikyou on to some stable spot on the muddy ground. "I suggest that you sleep it out."

Rin nodded, still half-asleep. The moment Sesshoumaru and Kikyou disappeared into the sea of tall grass, the little girl yawned once again and lay on the two-headed dragon's back to continue dreaming.

...o0o...

"Who resides in these grasses, Sesshoumaru?" Kikyou asked softly, feeling the demon aura which was growing stronger the deeper they went into the field. It was not nearly as strong as Sesshoumaru's youki, but Kikyou was curious nonetheless. Her husband had not told her anything about his mother's friend whom he said they were meeting.

"A youkai who resembles a heron takes abode in this region," Sesshoumaru answered. He constantly held on to Kikyou's hands with one of his own while clearing a path among the greens with the other. They went slowly, for the marshy ground squished beneath their feet and it wouldn't do to be stuck in a mudhole. "...A demoness by the name of Mizutori, my late mother's retainer. The last time I had seen her was far back when Father was still alive."

"Do you think she can help us discover the identity of the Master?" Kikyou looked upwards. The sky had assumed the color of ultramarine, and a few faint stars which were uncovered by the mist were visible up ahead.

"If she doesn't, I doubt who else can," Sesshoumaru replied gravely, and Kikyou caught sight of a rare look of sadness in his amber eyes as he said so.

...o0o...

After what felt like an eternity of walking through the ocean of swaying grass, with only the demon aura guiding them both to their destination, the tall wall of green abruptly gave way to a small clearing. It wasn't really a clearing, but rather, a pond edged in flat builders large enough for several men to stand on. The pond itself wasn't large, a pool of clear water collected in a hollow about ten meters in diameter. At its very heart stood a glowing creature which illuminated the scene brighter than the waning moon above.

"Welcome, Lord Sesshoumaru and Lady Kikyou; I knew you would come tonight," the creature said the moment the pair came out of the grassy fences. Kikyou beheld the form of a long-legged water bird with its long, slender neck bowed in their direction. Mizutori, as Sesshoumaru said, was a heron larger than any bird Kikyou had yet seen.

Standing straight, the demoness was three times taller than the Demon Lord. Her eyes were a watery blue, and so was a majority of her plumage. But she was white around the neck and on her back, and a golden crest was on her head. Her webbed talons and her long, narrow beak were also golden, and the sight of this radiant creature prostrating itself before her caused Kikyou to be a little self-conscious.

"I have come to ask about my mother," Sesshoumaru said coldly, neither noticing the beauty of the pond nor the brilliance of its owner. Kikyou noted that he did not show any sign of surprise that the other demon knew they were going to pay her a visit, or that she knew of their names for that matter.

"Ah, Lady Suien, of course," Mizutori said, nodding with understanding. "With her rival on the verge of freeing himself from her seal, I am glad that you finally heard her call, and turned to me for enlightenment. Well, young Master, your mother's story goes back, farther back even before you were born. I am sure she would be pleased that you would choose to delve into her past to understand how things are unraveling at present."

"I want straight answers," Sesshoumaru replied, still as cold as ever.

Mizutori gently stirred the placid waters of her pond with her talons, and with each ripple that spread out from her webbed feet, a mysterious light emerged.

"Alas, my Lord," she answered, "your mother's story is not something that could be compressed into a simple package that others will understand at one glance. This pond...it carries a collection of memories which various beings, including your mother and even your father, had given me. Ah! Inu no Taishou and Lady Suien! How glorious those two were, and how beloved among us! There had been no two youkai as powerful and as great them, and there had been none ever since they passed."

"Then waste no time speaking about unimportant things and tell us what we need to know," Sesshoumaru broke her off. Clearly, he was getting a little annoyed.

Mizutori appeared to smile, and she gracefully curved her sinewy neck.

"I will not _tell_ you, my Lord, for I am by no means a good storyteller. But I will _show_ you."

And the wind, previously still and quiet, began to blow among the threadlike weeds, creating a soft swishing sound which echoed deeply into the night

...o0o...

Hehe, end of chapter! Whee... I know the concept of Mizutori and her pond looks like some sort of Riddle's diary or some Pensive /puts away her Harry Potter books, but hey! I am doing my best here! Please review and tell me a thing or two about what you think of it, thank you! ;p

**Lady Fabmel: **Oh yes, yes, yes! Here's a familiar name who gave me a review! You haven't forgotten me, I am touched/huggles/ I honestly thought no one was reading this fic anymore. T.T

**Cold Kikyo: **Aaaaw, you are indeed one of my loyal reviewers. I am happy that you could wait so long for updates. 3

**xxxLOVEtheSINNER: **Thank you very much for the compliment. It really meant much to me!

**The East Wind Melts the Ice:** Well, this chappie answered your question, right? ;)

**Gossamer Wind: **Thanks!

**purple and pink dreams, Little Yellow Bunny, Sapphire Snowflake, Someone very secret: **Ah, my very dear friends! We get to meet again, mwah! I am also reading your stories! ;P

**Someone who knows me, or who claims I know, or anywhere on that line: **Thank you for dropping in a review! They're one of my only sources of joy at times...


	9. Chapter 8: Mist over Water

**VIII: Mist over Water**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N:** Heya! Have nothing really much to say...so, here's the **_LONG_** Chapter eight! This is a big flashback chapter on Sesshy's parents. The beginning is set before Sesshoumaru was born, and as you may have figured out, I have to rely much on my imagination. Some rather vague terms in the story are marked with numbers. You can find a corresponding explanation at the end of the chapter. Hope you enjoy!

...o0o...

The cold evening breeze began to blow in its leisurely pace, making the mists shimmer as they floated snakelike over the mysterious land. Wisps of cloud over the ground broke apart and were diminished as an equally mystifying form trod upon the soil. His silvery hair, tied up in a high ponytail, was damp due to the fog. His amber eyes flashed as he looked up abruptly, frowning at the hazy sky.

"_Blast this mist for keeping out the stars...how can I find my way back if I haven't even the slightest idea where I am now?"_

Letting out a rather irritated snort, the Inu no Taishou continued on walking, even if he had no clear destination in mind. He was tired; he had fought earlier with other youkai in an attempt to further expand his domain, and it seems he had unconsciously strayed into this uncharted region in his lands. He had been walking for hours now, and his already depleted strength would weaken further if he didn't rest soon...

...o0o...

The powerful taiyoukai raised an eyebrow to hear the splash of water beneath his feet. Looking carefully around him, he can see that the mist was beginning to dissipate, granting him a limited view of his surroundings. His breath caught in his throat as he took in the sudden beauty that lay spread before him. He was standing at the rich grassy banks of a large body of water that glowed brighter than the sliver of moon shining through the mist. Spiky rocks, gray and devoid of any moss, jutted out now and then over the glassy expanse of water like fingers reaching for the moon. Beautiful flowers resembling water lilies with their three-cornered leaves floated over the lake, radiating a strange fragrance that eased his troubled spirits.

'Such beauty...and this belongs to me?' was the thought that formed in the Inu no Taishou's mind the moment he set his eyes on the glowing fireflies hovering over the water. He was sure that this region lies in the West, his realm, and thus it was his. His and his alone.

Unconsciously, the Lord of the West knelt on one of his knees to scoop up some of the inviting water in his hand and drank it. To his complete surprise, the clear nectar seemed to fill his body with a new strength with just one sip, and the wounds he had received previously from his battles closed up at once. His golden eyes widened. This mysterious place with its mysterious healing water...he was amazed at not having found this place earlier.

The sudden appearance of a very powerful demon aura shook those thoughts off his mind. Instinctively, the Inu Taiyoukai whipped his clan's sword, the Sou'unga (1), from its sheath and assumed a fighting stand. Known to be the most powerful youkai alive at that time, he hardly believed such demon aura could exist...so powerful that he can tell it can match his own youki...coming from the foggy heart of the lake.

From the center of the lake appeared a blinding white light, causing him to flinch slightly, but he held his ground. Unusual warlike shinidamachuu with purple eyes emerged first out of the bright miasma and regarded him warily, floating like graceful snakes among the fireflies. Gradually, the miasma began to move his way, hardly causing a slightest ripple on the glasslike surface of the water as it advanced towards the inuyoukai.

"What are you?" he demanded, ready to fire a Gokuryuuha at the advancing entity.

"Such pride you have, asking _what_ I am," an unmistakable female voice radiated from the miasma and filled the cold air with its words. "Can't you see that you are the one who trespassed into my place? _Who are you?_"

The Inu no Taishou lowered his blade slightly, taken aback at the thought that he was facing a female demon, but he almost immediately raised it again when he discerned the challenging edge in her statements.

"Ha, don't you have the slightest idea of who I am?" he sneered. "I am the Lord of the Western Lands, and I take it that you know that your lake lies within my realm, and is under my control. I command that you show yourself."

The demoness in the misty light let out a rather derisive laugh. He narrowed his eyes; clearly, he was unused to being treated as such, especially by a demoness at that. The other she-youkai which had crossed paths with him lay in his beck and call, hardly causing him any trouble or interference at all. Who does this youkai think she is, challenging him?

"It is clear in my knowledge that the Tsukisawa lies in the West," said she. "But that doesn't mean I, the spirit guardian of this region, shall yield to you, Lord of the West." With that, she shed the light and mist which she had cloaked around herself and revealed her true form. So great was the beauty abruptly revealed that the Inu no Taishou's mouth dropped open before he can stop himself.

The demoness was clad in robes of various shades of blue, and from behind dark lashes shone silvery gray, flashing eyes which met him squarely in the face without a trace of fright. A crescent moon and several stripes were the markings she bore on her forehead, and her violet-sheen hair spilled over her back, nearly reaching the hems of her robes. But alas, her face bore not the innocence of a usual lower-class demoness. She gazed at him coldly, and not a trace of a smile was on her lips.

It took several moments for the Inu no Taishou to recover his senses from the spell of the other youkai, but once he did, he found himself returning his sword back to its sheath. The demoness' silver eyes narrowed.

"You are foolish, woman," he said, arrogance clear in every pore. "A demoness such as yourself should know better than to challenge a taiyoukai like me. Sooner or later, you will yield to me, but this place - the Tsukisawa, isn't it? - I shall claim for myself."

Her expression was as cold and neutral as ever; he wondered if he was actually speaking to a living person.

"Go on saying your worthless speeches," she retorted icily. Her shinidamachuu began to surround her closely, their purple eyes looking his way with a cautious look. "Nearly anyone is welcome to the Tsukisawa to be healed in its waters; don't force me to put up a barrier against you."

It was the Inu no Taishou's turn to laugh. By now, all the mist had disappeared, revealing a clear sky with the moon at its last quarter. He noted the positions of several stars which shone in the heavens, so he can return to this place - and the beautiful enchantress who takes abode within - whenever he wished.

The demoness appeared to figure out his intentions. "I won't close the Marsh of the Moon against you, _taiyoukai._ But I advise you not to come tomorrow until the moon waxes again."

"And why should I not?"

"The Tsukisawa's waters are really a poison, but the waters are sweetened every crescent moon. Unless the moon is a crescent, the waters will kill every living thing aside from me and my shinidamachuu. And, don't step too far in the water either." The taiyoukai, who had stepped into the lake itself as though to come closer to her, shot her an angry look but he heeded her warning and went back on firm ground.

"The ground beneath you will come to an abrupt drop in a few paces," she continued. "The skeletons of many foolish beings continue to float in the bottomless waters, and I guess you wouldn't want to be part of them." He knew that her words carried a nugget of truth in them, for at some point, the water had indeed gone so deep that even the clear water was lost in the dark blue.

After a moment of silence, her silver eyes flashed with clear annoyance. "I suggest that you leave, Lord of the West."

"I won't leave without you telling me your name," the Inu no Taishou said obstinately, a slight smirk forming on his lips.

"I don't deem you worthy of such knowledge," she replied at once. "Go. Your presence disturbs my soul-catchers and the hanazuki."

He tilted his head slightly in wonder. What an adamant woman! "My presence disturbs your shinidamachuu and the _what?"_

"The hanazuki...the name of the flowers on water," the demoness said, and by the tone of her voice he can guess that she was becoming bored and irritated.

"Well, as I said, I won't be leaving you or your hanazuki unless I can finally call you by a proper name!"

The beautiful dark-haired demoness' hand shot out suddenly from the depths of her robes. He can now see magenta stripes, identical to those on her forehead, snaking on her wrist. Though her face remained expressionless, the fire on her gray eyes could have set ablaze the grass blades around him with one mere glance.

"I will not have myself called by my true name by such an arrogant creature as you," said she, and with her words, blue light shot out of her hand and engulfed him. "_Souryuuha!"_ (2)

Caught unaware, he simply allowed himself to be carried out of the moonlit place by the wave of pure energy which she had summoned out of herself. Now left alone in her quiet Moon Marsh, the demoness turned and disappeared within the bottomless waters, determined to forget what had just happened that night.

...o0o...

His amber eyes blinked several times before becoming fully open. He raised an eyebrow slightly to find himself in familiar surroundings. The Lord of the West stood up gracefully and shook the dust away from his armor. As he made his way back to his fortress, a tiny flea demon darted out of several bushes, anticipating his arrival.

"Where have you gone, milord?" Myouga queried of his master whilst clinging on to the thick pelt-like fur which fell down the taiyoukai's back.

"To a paradise, Myouga," the Inu no Taishou said quietly with a mysterious grin on his face. The old-looking flea demon didn't understand, but he did not question his powerful master and instead asked him about his previous conquests.

Inu no Taishou answered his little companion patiently, but his mind was somewhere else. His grin widened. He may not be able to visit the Tsukisawa today, because it was a new moon, but he surely looked forward to seeing the moonlit lake once again, and the even more captivating lady who guarded its deep waters.

Yes, he had been ensnared by the charms of Hanazuki, for that was the name he gave her in his heart, after the blossoms of her realm. If she wouldn't reveal to him her true name, he can find no better name to call her.

...o0o...

Never had a day seemed so long for the Inu no Taishou. He waited impatiently for the day of the new moon to be over, knowing that the next day, the moon would be in its first quarter. And with it, he can visit Hanazuki again.

Dawn was only breaking the next day when he left his fortress without giving his vassals a word about his purposes or his destination. But soon, he found out that he could not reach the Tsukisawa without the aid of the guiding stars which he had observed the night he first went there, and he spent the whole day waiting for dusk to fall.

Such was his passion for Hanazuki. Never had any female triggered such feelings from him as she. Before, he only believed in power and conquest. The few remaining members of the Dog Clan had fought among themselves for the Sou'unga, and he was the victorious one. After killing his rivals within his own family, the Inu no Taishou had emerged as the only living member of the Dog Clan. He used the power of the Hell's Sword to secure for himself the Western Lands, and he was bent on further expanding his territory...that is, until he stumbled upon the Tsukisawa and met her.

Hanazuki. Such a beauty, she was! And undoubtedly brainy and powerful, too. Her witty replies and the energy blast which she used to drive him out of the Tsukisawa assured him that. What more could one want from a potential mate? But she was a stubborn, headstrong creature who wasn't like the other she-youkai which he had associated himself with, and for some reason, that attracted him even more. Unlike those unassuming, modest demonesses which for him were just a source for pleasure, she would be a challenge for him, the all-powerful Lord of the West.

To tame such a beauty who could probably equal him in power, to claim her as his own...it would be a perfect challenge, indeed.

...o0o...

She was clearly surprised to see him so soon. She had not expected him to come back in a few weeks or so, considering with his obsession in extending his domain, but seeing him on the shores of the waters, she knew that she was wrong.

"Hanazuki!" She heard him call the name of her flowers from her abode beneath the clear water, and she rose to meet him, more out of curiosity than willingness.

"What did you just say?" she asked of him, appearing from the deeps like a ghost. She appeared closer to the shore than he had ever seen her before, standing among the budding blossoms which littered about her feet like stars of the water. But nonetheless, she still refused to stand on the grassy banks as he.

The Inu no Taishou smiled slightly to see that she had responded to his call. "You may not want to be called Nameless when you refused to tell me your name," said he. "Therefore, I gave you a name. Hanazuki, I presume you were not expecting me?"

The Lady of the Tsukisawa tilted her head slightly and a rather amused expression flashed over her eyes for a briefest moment, but otherwise she made no objection at being called as such; neither did she shed her cold exterior.

"Hai, I didn't know that you would be back so soon," she replied. "Not that I want to see you again, that is," she added.

The silver-haired taiyoukai chuckled slightly, but he sat himself among the grasses, which were just beginning to grow after the poisonous spell of the Tsukisawa. If Suien thought it extremely bold of him, she said nothing. She observed his features...the amber eyes, the jagged blue markings on his cheeks...even she had to admit he was quite handsome, but she never intended to tell him that. It might further swell his already bloated ego.

"Well, you'd better get used to my presence now," he said craftily, smirking rather smugly. "I am the Lord of these Lands, and I am surely not letting you away from my sight knowing your power and your obstinacy."

Suien can see that there was a far greater reason for the Inu no Taishou to pay this certain visit to her. If he really wants to claim the Tsukisawa as he had said during their first meeting, or if it was to make sure that she won't present a threat to him as he had previously stated, they should have engaged in a certain clash of powers by now.

"What do you want?" she asked quietly. Solitary person that she was, Suien was content to have her shinidamachuu as her companions, aside from visits from her precious few close friends among youkai, the bird demon Mizutori and a young demoness from the Deer Clan by the name of Azami. The presence of this foreign demon, and the Lord of the West at that, was some kind of attention she wasn't used to, nor something she really appreciated.

"Tell me about yourself," he answered, looking at her intently with his amber eyes. "Is that a big favor to ask?"

"Do I interest you that much?" she retorted, walking a few steps backward on the water.

"You are beautiful; it's impossible that you're not aware of that," he replied. "It's impossible not to be lost just by looking at you."

Suien was slightly taken aback by this bold declaration. To hear this man telling her that she was beautiful... But unlike ordinary maidens, she wasn't very much impressed by this. Her beauty had been something of a curse as well as a gift. With it, she had earned the desire of a certain person who was never meant to have it, whom she detested even more than she did this inuyoukai before her...

"Well, are you going to tell me or not?" the Inu no Taishou asked, puzzled at her silence and the sudden thoughtful look in her grey orbs.

She snapped out of her stupor and glared at him.

"I am _sorry_ to disappoint you, Lord of the Western Lands, but I feel that it's too early for such things. We are not even _acquaintances_, and you are already expecting me to divulge my whole soul to you? No; such things will have to wait."

The amber-eyed demon let out a laugh. "Not the right time, eh?" he replied. "Very well; I'll be patient, my dear Hanazuki. There's time; all the time in the world."

"Then why are you still here?"

The Inu no Taishou smirked mischievously. "Why else? I will wait; wait until I get what I want."

Suien knew that her patience was wearing thin. What a thick-skinned brat this man is!

"If you think that I am like your many concubines whom you can diddle with your fingers, you are greatly mistaken," Suien replied softly. "If I say that I will _never_ give you the information you wanted, what will you do?"

"Ha, my dear, you are quite mistaken yourself. Although I certainly make off with some she-youkai, none of them had ever passed my standards for a concubine, let alone a mate. Woman, it's a question as to whether _who_ will give in first among the two of us. I doubt if you can last that long keeping your little secrets to yourself."

His words added fuel to her anger, which by then was beginning to simmer and then boil; so, he's looking upon her as a potential partner? Her? The mate of this bastard? This jerk of a taiyoukai? No way in hell...

"Then go and wait forever, _lord_," she snapped back. "I don't care." With that, she turned sharply on her heels and dove back into the heart of the Tsukisawa, sending a fine spray of silvery water and hanazuki flowers upon the smirking Demon Lord who sat upon its banks.

'_You shall be mine, Hanazuki...'_

...o0o...

"Milady, do we have a visitor?" Mizutori queried of her mistress. She had chosen this time to pay a visit to the Lady of the Tsukisawa to check on her, as well as inform her about the happenings in the outside world. The bird demon caught sight of a shadowy figure on the banks of the lake as she flew in, and she was totally surprised and amused to recognize the aura and form of the Lord of the West.

Suien merely grunted. She knelt among the flowers of the lake while Mizutori floated on the water before her. They were wrapped in a mist, and they were hardly visible in the hazy backdrop. By the mere reaction of her Lady, Mizutori can see that the Inu no Taishou clearly has some...interest in the beautiful Moon Elemental.

"Oh, come on, m' lady," Mizutori said enthusiastically. "This is a great opportunity for you! He's powerful, he's good-looking...the other she-youkai in the West are now dying to be in your place, Lady Suien! Think of all the..."

"I am sorry to cut your pleasantries short, but why exactly are you visiting me?" Suien replied coldly. Mizutori can see that she was becoming annoyed, and the heron youkai bowed her golden head in apology.

"Forgive me, milady," Mizutori answered in a softer, more docile tone. Her expression also became serious. "My companions among the birds have gathered some information about your brother to the Moon and his whereabouts. He seems to be on the move to destroy you, for some reasons I don't know..."

"You do not have to know those reasons," Suien said, her eyes becoming darker. "They are better left the way they are."

"But why, Lady Suien..."

"No, Mizutori. Please, I need some time alone. This news had grieved me, and that annoying taiyoukai on the banks of my territory has sure sapped me of my usual strength in the few days he's been here..."

...o0o...

The Inu no Taishou had observed the large bird as it flew into the Moon Marsh and spent a few minutes in its misty heart. He was positively sure that Hanazuki was there, hidden in the fog. True enough, after the bird emerged out of the grayness in flight, the haze broke, revealing the figure of his most desired one kneeling among the flowers of her namesake. However, his delight turned into perplexity and concern to see her face buried in her hands, as though crying.

He called out to her, but she pretended not to hear him. He called her name once again, but she refused to acknowledge him. Finally, he decided to go out to her himself, amidst her warnings about the Tsukisawa's bottomless waters. He stepped into the water and was about to go deeper when Hanazuki finally took notice of what he was doing.

In a flash, she was on her feet and in the blink of an eye, she restrained him and led him back to the shore whilst remaining on the water herself.

"You are as foolish as you are hard-headed, Inu Taiyoukai!" Hanazuki berated him once he was back on firm ground. As she tried to go back into the deeper regions, he grabbed hold of her wrist, preventing her from moving away. Her surprised silver eyes met with his determined golden oculars for a moment before she began to struggle in his grasp. "Let me go, you bastard!"

"You were crying back there," Inu no Taishou said calmly, not even loosening his grip on her.

"Your eyes were mistaken," Hanazuki retorted angrily while trying to pull herself away from the other demon. "And even if I was, you have no right to wander into my own business."

"Pardon me, but my eyes have never failed me before," he answered. "Why don't you allow me to help you, Hanazuki?"

"I don't need your help!" she nearly shouted, her voice a few octaves higher than her usual wont. With that, she touched his arm with her free hand, and he felt as though a white-hot iron suddenly made contact with his skin. Instinctively, he let her go and he clawed at his skin. The poison from her fingers had burned its way through his armor and had marked a painful sore on his arm.

Hanazuki, meanwhile, had gone a safe distance back into the deeper water but she did not disappear. She stopped in her tracks as though pondering on her previous actions. She looked over her shoulder, and apparently changing her mind, she went back to him. Without a word, she dipped a hand in the pristine waters of the lake and gently let the clear liquid flow into the wound she inflicted upon him with her _Dokkasou_. In just a few moments, the bleeding stopped and the wound closed up.

They were both silent for some time. They weren't able to look at each other straight in the eye and simply kept their heads bowed for a few moments. But the Inu no Taishou chose to shed his paralysis first. He tenderly placed a finger under her chin and raised her head. But Hanazuki's eyes remained downcast, and she refused to meet him in his amber eyes.

"I am sorry-"

"Forgive me for being such an awful-"

They looked at each other in surprise. They had decided to speak at the same time, and both had wanted to say an apology to the other. They unconsciously smiled, even the normally cold Hanazuki who was previously expressionless and unfeeling.

"That's better, isn't it?" Inu no Taishou whispered in a quiet tone that was rather rare for him. "See, you should smile more. That gloomy look does not become you."

But at that moment, Hanazuki had stepped away from him, her features hidden in the shadows of her hair. She had lost her smile, and she raised her hand in warning when he tried to reach for her. She turned her back on him, but she did not walk away.

"Please, let me be alone for now," she said in a rather pleading tone that the taiyoukai knew that something was clearly bothering her.

"Do you have to be so cold, Hanazuki?" he asked her.

At this, she was silent. She was unsure if she knew the answer herself. "This is just my way," she replied quietly. "I have been like this for as long as I can remember."

"But why?"

Hanazuki bit her lip. Should she tell him?

Inu no Taishou can tell that his previous question rather upset her because she had become so quiet, but just when he was about to take it back, she spoke.

"I was born here, in the Tsukisawa," Hanazuki began. "I was conceived when the final lightning from a clearing thunderstorm struck the heart of the Waters during a lunar eclipse. I am considered brethren to another Elemental of the Moon by the name of Karatake, but he was not born here. He came to being out of the souls of men who were slaughtered by demons in a bamboo grove, when day turned to night, when the moon came forth and shut out the rays of the sun.

But there has been a long history of misunderstanding and hatred between us, and that had hardened me. Don't ask me why, for it pains me to even think of the roots of those ill-feelings. But if you must know, I must have withdrawn within myself because of my younger brother, for only in keeping my purposes hidden from him shall I be sure to retain our uneasy peace. I know he will seek to destroy me if he can."

"I won't let this Karatake come by you in any way," Inu no Taishou said defiantly.

"What makes you so sure? You do not know him; things are better left as they are. I do not even know why I am telling you these things..." She paused and looked back at him thoughtfully. "You would have to leave by tomorrow. By then the moon is halfway before it becomes full. You can come back when the moon is a crescent again."

A flicker of disappointment passed over his amber eyes. It seemed so long! "But Hanazuki, will you allow me to come back this time? Shall I have your permission to visit you?"

"You are welcome to the Tsukisawa whenever you can visit me. But please, let me go for now. I have some things to think about..."

...o0o...

Days passed. The Lord of the West lands can hardly wait for the moon to assume its crescent form again, and once it did, he wasted no time in returning to the place of the Tsukisawa. But he would soon discover that something was amiss. Corpses of various youkai littered the landscape surrounding the Moon Marsh, and his eyes narrowed to recognize a few of them as dragons.

'What is this? The kin of my rival, Ryuukossei, were here?' His amber oculars widened. 'Hanazuki!'

He broke off into a run, his hand readily clutching his sword. Just they dare hurt Hanazuki... The mists parted, and he finally caught sight of the Moon Marsh. To his relief, the beautiful blue of the water was unchanged and undefiled, but there were two forms suspended a good many feet over the lake. They were far apart, and there was no mistake about the hatred in their eyes.

"Hanazuki!" Inu no Taishou called her name, and her grey oculars flashed in his direction from her place over the Tsukisawa. The inuyoukai stole a glance at the other demon across her, and he beheld the willowy human form of a youkai with greenish-blond hair and icy blue oculars. He looked at the silver-haired taiyoukai coldly, but did not appear to be interested.

"So, Hanazuki is how you are known to the outside world nowadays, huh?" the demon clad in greens said to her. "Sister, you are a fool. Had you submitted to me years ago, this wouldn't have happened..."

"You are a coward, Karatake," Hanazuki replied in a dangerous tone. "You send forth your minions instead of facing your adversary on your own."

Karatake, as Inu no Taishou clearly understood now, was Hanazuki's younger brother.

"Let's not waste our time in useless words," Karatake hissed, his grip tightening around the bamboo spear he held. "I have desired to kill you ever since you rejected me..." Great waves began to rock the surface of the Tsukisawa as Karatake charged at Hanazuki, who fought back. Whips of poison shot out of her hands and prevented him from coming close. The energies that emanated from them were so great that great winds began to rip the landscape, driving the mist away.

At this, Inu no Taishou drew the Sou'unga and leaped up the air in flight. He took Hanazuki's side and was about to cleave through her enemy's back when Karatake blocked the attack with his spear. Karatake's icy orbs widened at his new adversary. He clearly knew who this other person was. Karatake never expected his solitary sister to gather the support of such a powerful youkai.

"Leave her alone," Inu no Taishou said as the blade of Sou'unga came to contact with Karatake's iron-strong bamboo.

"What do you know about business here?" Karatake answered back. "I never knew the Lord of the West could actually pry into the affairs of the Elementals of the Moon."

"You shouldn't even be here," Hanazuki berated Inu no Taishou as she shot out one of her whips at Karatake, who narrowly dodged the fling. "This does not concern you."

"Anyone who dares to harm you shall answer to me," Inu no Taishou replied stubbornly. Hanazuki flinched slightly, but said nothing.

And so they fought, Karatake against the combined forces of the Inu Taiyoukai and his older sister. Karatake had ordered his minions to invade the Tsukisawa earlier in an attempt to weaken his sister, but she had effortlessly repelled them all back. Now he faced her himself, and he was exceedingly irritated that he had an extra enemy to watch out for.

After a few more clashes over the Tsukisawa, the three had moved clear out of the Moon Marsh and out to the landscape beyond. Hanazuki shot out a Souryuuha at her brother, and the blue energy caused him great damage as he was distracted by Inu no Taishou, who had engaged on a close-level sword fight with him. Flinching at the pain, Karatake knew that he was defeated for the time being. He knew that he would stand no chance against this two...and Hanazuki hadn't even released her most powerful weapon yet, that which he most feared.

With a final cry of defiance, Karatake blew a huge column of flame on the grasses below them, causing a thick dark smoke to rise to the sky. Hanazuki and Inu no Taishou drew back as he began to withdraw into the smoke. The air began to smell of poison; Karatake had used his shouki to poison the miasma so they couldn't come near.

"Don't think you can escape from me!" Hanazuki shouted, her features knotted in fury and her grey eyes beginning to assume the shade of blood red. She was immune to any poison, a gift she had inherited from the Tsukisawa. Her little brother's tactic won't stop her; without further hesitation, she shot into the miasma to go after him. But Karatake had escaped.

But Inu no Taishou was not as lucky. His senses began to dull due to the effects of the poisonous smoke, and he felt as though he would pass out. But not without killing that Karatake.

Raising his sword into the air, he summoned up the powers of the Sou'unga.

"_Gokuryuuha!"_

At once, a great vortex of hurricane winds was formed, and it was partly out of pure luck that he managed to aim it at the right way: into the tall column of smoke that served as Karatake's escape. The wind screamed; the ground groaned. Grass and rocks flew high into the air as the blast swept through the landscape. Inu no Taishou let his sword arm fall to his side and Sou'unga fell to the ground with a clang. He fell to his knees. He felt as though he barely had any energy left to keep from falling into unconsciousness.

Out of a sudden, a scream shook his senses. He looked up and saw fingers of blue lightning shoot out of the twisting current he had created. A dreadful truth sank into him. He had hit the miasma with the Gokuryuuha, but Hanazuki had gone in it after Karatake. He had hit her.

"NO!" Without thinking, he stood up and ran towards the vortex, hardly caring if he would get ripped apart by his own power. His will seemed to give him all the strength he needed. "_What have I done?"_

The hurricane winds died down, but the dust remained suspended in the air. The Inu no Taishou can barely see the ground in front of him, but he can smell her fragrance, he can feel her weakened aura. Before he knew it, he had come across her, lying limply on the ground with her long violet-black hair strewn about her. Her beautiful eyes were closed, and her fair skin was marred here and there by numerous bruises. His breath caught in his throat. "_Hanazuki...you can't die...I will never forgive myself if you died because of me..."_

He took her into his arms and he buried his face within the soft strands of her hair. Before he could help it, a tear made its way down his cheek and fell on her face. Hanazuki stirred and weakly opened her silver oculars. Her utter weakness prevented her from expressing her surprise that she was in his arms.

"You live!" Inu no Taishou whispered. What a miracle! She must have exerted all her powers to counter the Hell's Current which he had unknowingly unleashed upon her, and she was alive! But only just. She breathed shallowly, and her eyes were cloudy. She had barely made it...

"You..." she said, the single world barely even a whisper.

"Don't give up, Hanazuki!" he cried desperately. He hugged her closer to him; she felt the quick beating of his heart. "I will _never_ set foot into the Tsukisawa again if it means that you will live... That is what you really wanted, right? To get rid of me forever. I will never bother you again... just live, my beloved!" He broke off as a new wave of tears trailed down his face and fell on her wounded cheeks. He didn't even notice that her eyes were turning misty, and that tears had begun to flow from her silvery oculars as she listened to him.

With the weak strength that she had, she shakily raised her hand and tenderly grazed his wet cheeks with her fingertips. She smiled. By now, she understood. He loved her; he truly loved her. And will she still deny her own feelings for him? How she loved him too...

"To the Tsukisawa," she muttered, making a great effort to form the words on her lips. "There, I can be healed..."

...o0o...

He obligingly let her go, and the Lord of the West watched her patiently as she weakly yet gracefully knelt by the water's side and scooped up some of the crystal-clear liquid in her hands and drank. Once again, he marveled at the wonderful abilities that the colorless nectar possessed. In an instant, her wounds closed up and her skin was restored to its previous milky luster, as though it never felt the touch of a blade. Likewise, he drank only a smallest sip and his strength returned in seconds.

After this was done, he sat beside her by the marsh water's edge. Their eyes gazed up at the sickle moon, already in its first day after the waning half-moon, its image perfectly reflected off the water below. A delicate fragrance filled the air as the hanazuki, the flowers of the Tsukisawa, bloomed in their peak.

The Inu no Taishou sat without moving for a few more moments, but he soon turned his head to look at the beautiful lady beside him, unable to contain his feelings for her.

"Hanazuki..." his voice reached her ears, and her gray eyes turned to meet his.

"My Lord..." she whispered, and she bowed her head slightly in a sign of respect. He was rather surprised; the normally aloof Lady Hanazuki, whom he had known to recognize no one of higher rank, now addressed him out of pure respect. He placed a finger under her chin and raised her head to meet his. The fire of her eyes was still alight, but they now spoke of love, and not of the fearsome ferocity which she had displayed earlier. That meant much more to him than her addressing him by a title.

He was about to kiss her when she placed a finger over his lips. He looked inquiringly at her face. She had on a mischievous smirk that was so rare on her.

"Only if you can catch me," she said teasingly. With that, she leaped high into the air and shed her human form. In the twinkling of an eye, she had transformed into a body resembling fragile glass around which freely flowed wisps of bluish mist. Her violet hair streamed out from her face as she flew high into the sky, leaving behind rapidly vanishing trails of ghostlike fog in her wake.

The Inu no Taishou smiled. So, she was testing him, huh? He stood up and darted after her. Where his human form once was, there now flew a great canine demon with fur that glowed in the light of the waning moon.

Never had they flown so high. The high breezes swept past them as he chased after her glimmering form among the clouds. Her laughter echoed among the winds as she cut across his path like a bolt of lightning. She twirled. He veered. She glided. He soared.

A growl escaped his throat, making the clouds shiver with his passing. Her flaming eyes looked in his direction. His passion fueled his determination. She grinned. How far can that determination take him, she will now see. Putting forth her speed, she flew like a shooting star, her form blurring as she passed beneath the moon. The Inu no Taishou, far from giving up, dove after her. She will be his.

In a few seconds, he had caught up with her. Her eyes widened. She hadn't expected him to reach her that quickly...but then, she had never expected him to come into her life as well. In the blink of an eye, he transformed back into his human form and hooked his strong arms around her delicate body, their lips locking into a violent frenzy of a kiss. Hanazuki had also resumed her human form, and with the rhythm of their flight broken, they fell down into the sapphire body of water spread down below.

The waters of the Moon Marsh shifted, and like a gentle mother, it bore them up from the depths and carried them to the shore in the arms of waves. There, they lay intertwined, her long hair spread in a beautiful disarray as she lay under his well-built body.

They broke their passionate lip-lock, gazing deeply into each other's eyes whilst breathing deeply. Hanazuki reached out with her fingers and traced the blue marking on his cheek, a tender smile playing on her face. His grin widened, and gently, if not tremblingly, brushed her lips with his, fearful of what her reaction might be. But she gave in and returned the kiss, which soon evolved into a violent show of passion. She felt his warm hands burning her in places she would have otherwise not allowed any man to touch, but instead of pushing him away, she flung her arms around him and pulled him closer.

"I love you and yet I do not even know your true name..." he whispered, his heated breath teasing her pointed ear.

"Suien...my name is Suien," breathed she, her gray eyes glistening. She moaned quietly to herself to feel him lay his head between her breasts. "But it doesn't matter to me if you still call me Hanazuki..."

"Suien..." he said under his breath as his hands reached within the folds of her silken robes and made contact with her warm skin, "beloved Hanazuki..."

Only the stars and the crescent sliver of moon in the sky held witness to the love they finally sealed beneath the shades of that perfect, lovely night.

...o0o...

Additional story notes:

(1) Sou'unga (Fang of the Gathered Clouds?) – mentioned only in the 3rd Inuyasha Movie, Tenka Hadou no Ken (Sword of World Conquest), it's a third sword owned by Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's father which could be defeated with the combined powers of Tessaiga and Tenseiga; its ultimate attack is Gokuryuuha (Hell's Current?).

(2) Souryuuha (Azure Dragon Blast, or Dragon Destruction in some translations) - also mentioned only in the movies, it's an attack which Sesshoumaru can summon out of any of his swords, thus I presume he could summon it out of himself. I made it an ability he inherited from his mother.

* * *

Weeh... O.O Now you know how Sessheh came to be. . Originally, I intended this chapter to be longer, but my hands were already screaming, "Heck, you evil one! You're killing us!" -.- Whadya think is the reason why Hanazuki and Karatake fought? See you around in Chapter Nine! ;P 

**Lady Fabmel: **Oh gosh, thank you! (Tears up) My poor muse was practically dying in the last chapter, and your review sorta revived poor musie. ;P I failed one of my subjects in the card, and that really busted my morale for a while... T.T

**xxxLOVEtheSINNER: **Aaawh, I am always very happy to know you like my story. Honestly, I didn't know how I was going to write the last chapter. At least Mizutori didn't turn out to be a bum. -.-My drawing of her is linked in my profile.

**Cold Kikyo: **Thanks! Just gotta admire Kiky's fortitude, ne?

**Sweet Ruby Moon: **OMG, YOU REVIEWED! XD I missed ya, Rubeh! Really, please, please update your website soon! Sesshy and Kiky are waiting...

**Azn kawaii kikyo the devil: **Yay, thank you for reviewing! Yep, it would really do you some good if you reread In Memory of the Chrysanthemum asthis story will sorta look back at Kikumo a great deal. ;P

**ninalee-chan: **Whoo, mood-swinging Kiky can indeed be worse than a youkai, ne? lol I had to interview my mother on how she fared during her pregnancies to sorta get the 'feel' of the thing... Yeah, Sesshy had to be patient or else Kiky may miscarry. O.o

**-Element-Angel-Forever-: **You mean Kiky and Sesshy's baby? Don't worry, the little one will live... ;P

**The East Wind Melts the Ice: **Kiky is so loving, right? ;P No wonder Sesshy thought the world of her!

**Gossamer Wind: **I was a great HP fan, too, but since Sirius died, my enthusiasm had waned. -.-

**xXx: **Actually, I have long considered changing my pen name into Antarel, as I like it more than Nefertili. But I am already known by the latter here, so it's too late to change things. :)


	10. Chapter 9: The Jewel of the Moon Marsh

**IX: The Jewel of the Moon Marsh**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **Sorry for the long lay-off. I had some sort of website-making spree the past weeks, causing me to neglect (O.o") my beloved story. And speaking of websites, please, please check out Satsukibare (the link is in my profile). I finally revised the illustrations of In Memory of the Chrysanthemum and the illustrated Unseen Side of the Moon is now open to the public.

...o0o...

Silver waters shimmered, and the illusion was broken. Kikyou blinked once and for a while she was confused.

'What was that?' she thought. 'It was as though I can see a living dream being played before my very eyes...' From the corner of her mahogany eyes, she saw Sesshoumaru's cold and commanding figure. He was silent, his face expressionless. Then, Kikyou remembered. Mizutori had summoned up memories from her pond and replayed it to them. Memories...of a lady with the light of the moon in her face and a lord with the silver hair...

"From their union there came forth an epitome of a perfect youkai," Mizutori's voice broke through the silence. Of course, she was talking about Sesshoumaru. "My Lord, were you pleased to know your parents' story?"

Sesshoumaru's amber-gold eyes narrowed slightly.

"And what has that got to do with the present threat of Karatake?" he demanded rather than asked. An expression of slight concern passed through Kikyou's face. She knew her mate better than anyone. He may not show it openly, but seeing his mother and father...hearing them speak...probably triggered some bittersweet feelings within him.

"Ah, so you finally found out who the Master is," Mizutori said, apparently pleased. She spread her blue wings slightly, making the grasses rustle softly. Her mistress' son clearly took much after his mother. The cold exterior...the quick comprehension...such traits were definitely Lady Suien's. "Your mother would have guessed it as fast if she were you."

Golden oculars narrowed all the more, and Kikyou chose to speak up so as to avert a possible bloodshed. Sesshoumaru was clearly upset with Mizutori comparing him with Hanazuki. The bird demon probably intended it as a compliment, but unfortunately the silver-haired taiyoukai didn't see it that way. Those words probably made him feel more trapped under his powerful mother's shadow.

"Why does Karatake hate Lady Hanazuki so?" she inquired, curiosity and worry emphasizing the color of her dark eyes.

Mizutori let out what seemed like a sigh. She paced once around the pond on her long legs, as though pondering on the answer. Kikyou looked up at the sky. How long had they been here, watching events long since passed? The heavens were still dark; some stars and the waning moon were still visible, but from the east there was a light, faint at first, but brightening with each minute that passed. It was nearly daybreak...

"You may have seen in the memory that I asked the Lady Suien the same question," Mizutori replied finally, stopping on her pacing. She stood still and her sapphire eyes were on them, "and recall that she refused to reveal the answer openly. But I have been with her for a long time and have seen what many have not seen. From what I have gathered throughout the years, I have formulated my own personal interpretation of the cause of misunderstanding between my Lady and her brother to the Moon."

"And what could that personal interpretation be?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly, a little bit dangerously. Kikyou reached out and clasped his hand gently to bid him to be patient for a little while longer. He instinctively returned her hold, but he said nothing. The Demon Prince was getting annoyed with Mizutori, but for the sake of the information they needed he would have to bear the presence of his late mother's retainer.

"I hope that you won't think badly of me for what I will say," she said in reply, bowing her crested head slightly as a gesture of submission. "My theories are not quite as pleasing to the ears, but I have worked hard to piece together many shards of this broken puzzle to at least come up with a most plausible assumption-"

"Don't waste time with useless words that are of no interest to me," Sesshoumaru broke her off. "Why did hahagimi (1) and Karatake contrive to go against one another?"

Mizutori now sensed impending trouble in the dangerous tone of the Demon Lord's voice. Not choosing to incur the wrath of the elder son of Inu no Taishou, she would give him all the information he needed. After all, did not Lady Suien request her to watch out for her only son...?

"Karatake and Lady Suien are brother and sister in the Moon's eyes," Mizutori explained. "Therefore, it must now be very clear to you, Sesshoumaru-sama, that your mother's prime enemy is now also your adversary...he who is no other than your uncle. Karatake was very taken with his elder sister's beauty. He nursed a...dirty lust for her."

At the phrase of her words, Kikyou looked up. Even Sesshoumaru looked as though he was on the verge of asking the other youkai if she was merely inventing things. Karatake lusted after his own sister? Utterly preposterous! But they were not as horrified as Mizutori would have imagined her to be. Of course, why should they be? In the past, they had been entangled in a web of such dark desires, for Onigumo who was the dead Naraku's human self lusted after Kikyou herself. But then, Kikyou and Onigumo were not even kin, unlike Hanazuki and Karatake...

"Impossible, you might say, but it is built on a basis of fact," Mizutori continued. "As you can see, it was a hopeless case for Karatake. If it is already considered improper even among youkai to mate with cousins of the first degree, what more for one's own sibling? And what's more, Lady Suien was totally put off by his incestuous thoughts. Even as brother and sister they were never close since the time of their awakening, and knowing of his improper feelings for her she loved him even less. Eventually, the shadow that had formed due to his fruitless love for Suien settled into Karatake's heart and soon enveloped his being. If she wouldn't be his, he thought, she would be no one else's. He would kill her for he hated her."

"What makes you think all these things are possible?" Sesshoumaru demanded. Kikyou held on to him tighter. "Don't insult the memory of my mother with such foolish thoughts."

"Sesshoumaru-sama, don't think I am attempting to mar your late mother's honor," Mizutori countered quickly. "I never desired to tarnish Lady Suien's impression on anyone, let alone her only son and his beloved mate, but hear what I say with an open mind. Lady Suien had hinted once or twice to me that her brother had actually made some advances towards her. Take for example, Karatake being one-eyed..."

"Karatake is one-eyed?" Kikyou remarked. Visibly, this little bit of information was quite unexpected.

"It isn't that obvious, Lady Kikyou, right?" Mizutori agreed, nodding slightly in the raven-haired former miko's direction. "But notice that he always allowed his hair to grow long to cover the left side of his face...to cover the eye which his sister destroyed."

At this, Kikyou was silent. Hanazuki inflicting such harm upon her younger brother, no matter how much they hated each other, was as morbid to her as Inuyasha hacking off Sesshoumaru's left arm. And Hanazuki was very gentle to her when Kikyou encountered her in the forest! She can hardly imagine her mother-in-law acting that way...

"Although Lady Suien didn't tell it to me directly, I got the message that Karatake tried to lay his hands on her, and she retaliated by taking out the sight of his left eye," Mizutori said. Her narrow knees shook slightly; clearly, she was also rather horrified at the thought of it. In fact, the only person among them who didn't seem to be affected by this unusual work of violence was Sesshoumaru. "But whether Karatake really lusted after her or not, I leave it to your judgement. But there is one thing that would have given him all the reasons to try to kill his sister."

She paused, and Kikyou asked in anticipation, "What is it, Mizutori?"

But Mizutori appeared to want to build up some suspense. "How do you think did she take out his eye?" She directed the question to Sesshoumaru.

"She would have used her bare fingers, as Father ought to have done," Sesshoumaru replied, a bored expression on his face. Kikyou stared at her husband. Although she loved him, his youkai nature did not fail to disturb her sometimes. It seemed to her that violence was for him a normal part of life.

At this, Mizutori appeared to smile. Her sinewy neck curved into a curving 'S' as she said, "Well, you are quite mistaken, my Lord. Although you have a point, for that was probably what she must have intended to do, but sad to say, it wasn't. Whether it was to warn Karatake to keep his distance or to simply show her power, she used a little bit of her greatest weapon. She used the power of the Jewel of the Moon Marsh to seal that part of his body to the netherworld."

Sesshoumaru and Kikyou spared glances at one another before looking back at Mizutori. Did they hear it correctly? _Jewel of the Moon Marsh?_

Mizutori's grin appeared to widen at their perplexity. Then, she began to chant.

"_A shard of the moon,  
O'er mist coming and going..."_

To Kikyou's surprise, in a soft voice, Sesshoumaru joined in the next words.

"_...A jewel of doom,  
O'er water still, unmoving..."_

Then she remembered why those words were so familiar to her. Did not the dragon of the forest intone it too? And how it had stayed in her mind...

"_...O'er depths endless, awaiting..."_

Mizutori and Sesshoumaru were rather surprised that Kikyou was able to complete the rhyme. Sesshoumaru gently placed an arm around her shoulder whilst asking, "Did hahagimi tell you of the rhyme when you met her in the forest?"

"It was not Lady Hanazuki," Kikyou replied thoughtfully. "The dragon, the minion of Karatake...before I banished it to hell, it also chanted the rhyme."

"You met the Lady Hanazuki in person?" It was Mizutori's turn to inquire. "You encountered a minion of Karatake?"

"It was not her in a way..." Kikyou whispered. "She was no mortal; she appeared as a spirit with her shinidamachuu... to aid me after I came across a dragon that made mention of Karatake as its master."

Silence came over them for a while. Finally, Mizutori spoke, "Lady Suien is an admirable person indeed, continuing to watch over Sesshoumaru-sama and his mate from beyond the grave. I do not doubt what you said, Kikyou-sama. And if you must know, Karatake's minions are literally his 'children'. If I am correct with his feelings for Lady Suien, her rejection of him triggered a certain distaste for females in his part." Mizutori's blue eyes darkened slightly. "Karatake would make off with numerous she-youkai to produce them, but he always killed their mothers afterwards. He would not permit them to call him as a father, but rather as a master, as you might have seen."

"That is extremely cruel of him..." Kikyou said quietly, becoming lost in thought. Her unborn child kicked her from within, as though knowing that the little bit of life in her belly was the prime focus of her thoughts at that moment. She gently caressed her belly, and after a few more stirrings, her baby was still again. She sighed; it was a child created out of love... Karatake created children to carry out his own evildoings.

"The Rhyme speaks of my mother's Jewel," Sesshoumaru said. Noticing that they had begun to stray from their topic, he sought to bring them back to the right way. Besides, he would not want to hear more on his uncle's filthy deeds. (He flinched slightly at the thought of it, that such a shameful creature was related to him.)

Mizutori blinked, but she nodded in agreement. "Yes, or at least that was what Lady Suien told me. As the Lady of the Tsukisawa, she is also an extension of the Moon Marsh. This jewel, Mitsuseki (2) it was called, was an embodiment of the Tsukisawa's powers, which of course, only she can command. I have not seen it myself, but I presume it is a necklace of some sort. Lady Suien was aware of its great power, so she chose to keep it hidden, and I presume no other person but Karatake had seen it yet."

"Lady Suien used the Mitsuseki to seal her younger brother's left eyesight into the Other Side..." Kikyou said. Her eyes widened, finding out that she had answered her own unasked question. "The Mitsuseki's power is banishment to the Meidou (3)!"

"The intelligence of the younger generation never fails to amaze me," Mizutori sighed. She didn't expect them to get the answer that quickly. They were truly well-matched, Sesshoumaru and Kikyou; never mind her human origins... "You are correct, Lady Kikyou. With the Mitsuseki, Lady Suien can seal practically anything of mortal nature into the Netherworld. Why she didn't fully seal Karatake into the Meidou when she had the chance was something I could not quite understand. But then, like the Inu no Taishou, she has her own reasons for doing so, no matter how capricious they may be. But let's leave that for a while.

So, Karatake was probably the first being to be able to taste the true powers of the Mitsuseki, and he was made aware that with it, his sister will always have an edge over him, that she was close to invincible. Thus, he was all the more determined to kill her. And when Karatake found out that the Inu no Taishou had taken Lady Suien for his mate, he burned with mad jealousy.

Conquest was not part of his plan; his prime goal is to exterminate his older sister. He didn't really intend to take over the West, but because of your father's association with her, Karatake included the Inu Taiyoukai in his list of enemies. Not that they weren't enemies already; Karatake had sired too many minions of dragon descent, and we all know of your father's long strife with Ryuukossei's kindred.

But note this, my Lord and my Lady: the Mitsuseki answers only to Lady Suien and to those descended from her. Those who carry a strain of the power of the Tsukisawa in their blood, as you might say. Although Karatake is considered brethren to Lady Suien because they were both born out of the power of the Moon, they were never blood siblings.

_Since the Lady Suien is gone, the only one who can wield the Mitsuseki is you, Sesshoumaru-sama_. Karatake's sister may be dead, but her blood lives on. As long as she has any descendants, the Mitsuseki can still be harnessed against him, rendering his revenge futile. That is why Karatake wishes to kill you so, to make Lady Suien's bloodline fail forever. Without the proper wielders to harness that power, the Mitsuseki is good as useless."

"Where can this Jewel be found?" Sesshoumaru asked in an even tone. By now, it was clear that the Mitsuseki was the way to defeat their enemy.

At this question, Mizutori hung her head. "You may remember, Lord Sesshoumaru, the events of centuries passed. Remember the time when your mother left you in the forest and surrounded you with spells of enchantment to keep out Karatake's minions which had gone after you."

Sesshoumaru raised his head slowly. A flicker went over his eyes as he recalled the memory. Mizutori, herself, had assumed a melancholy expression. "I felt your mother's distress due to her mortal wounds and I went out of my pond to help her, but she told me to look after you and not her. The Tsukisawa would have healed her, but it was a time of the full moon; the Waters were a poison and could not be of any help to her. It was with a heavy heart that I yielded to her will, and I never saw her again. But I presume that she has sealed the Mitsuseki in the place of her birth before she died in the hands of her brother, and had woven a barrier around the Tsukisawa which only those of her blood could pass through."

Mizutori's sapphire eyes glistened like jewels as she said her next statements. "You are your mother's son. As such, you have a strain of her powers. Your _Dokkasou_, _Souryuuha_... the ability to speak to swords...your mother also possessed those abilities."

"Tenseiga would speak to me on its own," Sesshoumaru countered. "I could not speak to it if it wouldn't wish so. If I could indeed 'talk to swords' as you put it, that power is confined in the Tenseiga alone."

Mizutori was silent for a moment, as though contemplating on his words. "You may be right, Sesshoumaru-sama. But think on it this way: you can manage to make your younger brother's Tessaiga to transform into its functional form at times even if you were not really 'protecting' human life. That can count as speaking to the sword to work in your will."

"How are you to know these things?" Sesshoumaru questioned rather warily. Sure, he very clearly recalled the time when that evil bastard Naraku had given him a Shikon shard-embedded human arm so he can wield Tessaiga freely. He had managed to make the sword transform and had even fired a Wind Scar. If the human arm successfully broke through the barrier of the human blood, something else helped him defy the barrier of the sword which says that only those with the purpose of protecting human life can manage to use it fully. He had long attributed it to the Shikon shard, but now that Mizutori told him of the power he never knew his mother had, he was able to look at this incident with a new understanding...

"I have friends among non-youkai birds," Mizutori answered. "At my request, they would give me tidings about you, my Lord, especially after you left the West to search for the Tessaiga nearly fifty years ago. Your mother's last words to me were to keep watch over you, and I have been keeping up with my promise faithfully over the years."

"I am flattered that someone had successfully spied on me for such a long time without me knowing," Sesshoumaru retorted icily. He never approved of such tactics.

Mizutori shivered slightly at the dangerous glare. What was he so angry about? She only wanted to make sure that the only person who could fulfill Lady Suien's unfinished will would live yet still... To avert any mishap, Mizutori returned to the topic about the Mitsuseki.

"Regarding the Mitsuseki," she continued. "As I said, you have a strain of the abilities your mother possessed. But since you are part inuyoukai and part Moon Elemental, the blood of the Tsukisawa which flows in your veins is thinner than it was with Lady Suien. It is so with the other powers you inherited from her, including the authority over the Mitsuseki. Thus, you may not be able to harness the power of the Jewel like your mother before you. Farsighted person that your mother is, she sought to give all that she can to keep this from happening. She told me that if you find the 'right sword,' you will be able to awaken the Mitsuseki's powers and be able wield it."

She paused for a while, and a sorry expression seemed to appear on her blue eyes. "Forgive me, Sesshoumaru-sama. I have tried to recall any possible information I might have missed regarding this sword, but as far as I can remember, that was all your mother told me. I really wish to aid you against Karatake, my Lord, I really do. I am sorry if that is all I can give you."

"All that you have told us is vital in itself," Kikyou replied, smiling slightly. "But please, where exactly is the Tsukisawa? We may not have the sword, but if we can at least secure the Mitsuseki, it may help us a little."

"Oh, I wish I knew!" Mizutori exclaimed, distress evident in her tone. "The Marsh of the Moon is now hidden away into the realm of the unseen. I have tried going into the place where I once thought the Moon Marsh was, but illusion would twist my path. Flight has no use, for the enchantment reaches even up to the path of the air. Soon, I gave up."

"But where, exactly, in the place of old, is the Tsukisawa?" Sesshoumaru continued to ask.

Mizutori glanced at the couple, marveling at their determination and persistence. Sighing, she replied, "In the uncharted regions of the borders of the West, close to the realm where the Deer youkai live."

"The shikayoukai..." Kikyou found herself saying.

Mizutori appeared to read her thoughts. "Yes, the Deer Demons. Lady Hanazuki actually had a close friend among them, Azami, their future Queen. When Lady Suien became the Inu no Taishou's mate, it so happened that the great Lord of the West was allied to the heir of the shikayoukai, Hisano. The Lady Suien's association with Inutaishou brought Azami and Hisano together, and so you can tell that the royal family of the Deer clan owes your parents a great deal. Sesshoumaru-sama, do you remember the times when your mother would take you often to the realm of the shikayoukai?"

A slightly confused expression flashed over Sesshoumaru's amber oculars and for a while he peered into space with a thoughtful expression, trying to recall the events Mizutori stated. The lands of the Deer clan... bits and pieces of memory flashed across his mind, of towering pinnacles of land thick with vegetation...the roaring sound of a waterfall from the peak of bush-clad rock...a little girl with emerald eyes and fawn hair who looked rather familiar...

...o0o...

"_Hey, give it back!" a young demon girl screamed. Her brightly colored robes flowed about her as she chased after another boy who was about her age. But unlike him who has a moon mark on his forehead, she bore two sharp black arcs over her eyebrows as a mark of the Deer clan. "Give it back!"_

_The boy stuck out his tongue in her direction. "If you want your silly toy back, you would have to get it," he taunted, waving a blue hair stick with a tiny glass chrysanthemum in her direction. The little girl let out an angry shout as she ran after him._

_They bounded around columns covered with moss and ivy, cut through neatly-trimmed hedges and stamped through newly-cut grass, sending the old gardener shaking his fist in their direction. But nothing could have driven the two young souls out of their youthful banter._

_The young Deer demoness' deep green eyes were already misty with tears, but the other silver-haired demon refused to give up. He had been mercilessly picking on her, and he had gone as far as to pull at her long fawn tresses to take her hair stick. She was fast, as it was with her clan, but in her pure irritation, he managed to outrun her._

_Eventually, there came into sight two full-grown Demon Ladies in deep conversation with one another. The young boy was paces ahead of the little girl, and he ran straight up to the taller of the two demonesses, the one with violet-black tresses and a similar mark of the crescent moon on her forehead._

"_Mother! Mother!" he exclaimed, holding up the hair stick. "Look what I have got for you!"_

_By this time, the little girl was crying openly, and had sought refuge in the embrace of the other demoness. Her hair was also fawn, but unlike the little girl, the tips of the strands would end in a blond color. Though not nearly as striking as the silver-eyed Demon Lady, her emerald eyes were perhaps more kind and less fiery. She gently stroked the fawn tresses of her daughter which was in disarray, whispering kind words into her ears._

"_He got my hair stick!" the young girl accused, pointing a finger at the little boy, who made a face at her._

"_No! This is for Okaa-sama!" he retorted, continuing to hold up the hair stick for his mother._

_The beautiful silver-eyed Demon Lady smiled slightly and said, "I would only take it if Kikumo would allow it, Sesshoumaru."_

_At his mother's words, Sesshoumaru looked up at her enigmatic face before looking back at Kikumo's tear-streaked eyes. For a little while, it seemed that he would not yield to her, but finally, he slipped from his mother's loose embrace and shyly approached the little girl who held on tighter to her mother._

_He held out the hair stick whilst saying under his breath, "Sorry, Kikumo."_

_The young demon girl peeped warily from the many sleeves of her mother's robes. She stopped crying, but she was cautious as she reached out one of her hands to take the hair stick from him, as though anticipating him to pull it back any moment._

_Amazingly, he remained still even as she took the blue jade from his hands, his amber eyes looking the other way. Then, as her idea of a joke, she flung her little arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. Sesshoumaru's amber-gold eyes widened and he slowly began to turn red. It seemed that he had turned into stone, for he remained transfixed even as she pulled apart from him, saying in a coy voice, "Thank you, Sesshoumaru."_

_The two Demon Ladies began to laugh good-naturedly._

"_She's a romantic little one, isn't she, Azami?" Hanazuki said to her emerald-eyed companion._

"_Aye, it seems Lord Sesshoumaru is at a loss for words, my Lady," Azami replied just as good-humoredly. Kikumo began to giggle, and Sesshoumaru only turned even redder to see them, including his own mother, laughing at his blunt reaction._

...o0o...

"Sesshoumaru?" Kikyou's gentle wont brought him back to the present world. Kikyou was looking at him with a concerned expression, and he regained his regal composure. He gently squeezed her shoulder, but otherwise he spoke not of what he was thinking of.

Mizutori, however, seemed to know what he was thinking. "I presume you also recall the little shikayoukai girl who played with you during those visits? She who was the daughter of the Queen Azami, who was your mother's friend? Well, she is no other than Kikumo-hime, but you were both very little at that time. I doubt if you would recognize each other if we went back in time."

These words startled Kikyou. Sesshoumaru and Kikumo actually knew each other far longer than they admitted? Unconsciously and against her will, a tiny thorn of jealousy began to pierce at her heart. She struggled hard not to let it show.

Mizutori once more began to stir at the crystal waters with her webbed feet. "That just made me remember the time when the Inu no Taishou decided to take on a human lady for his mate a good many years after Lady Hanazuki died," she added, a hint of sadness lacing her tone. "The West was clearly shocked and rather revolted at his decision to do so, for not only was the inferiority complex between youkai and demons at its peak, but also Lady Hanazuki was well-respected among her husband's people.

She may not be a social type of person, but if there was a person who held any sway over your father, it would be her. She was able to restrain him from acting out of pure rage, which was his way from the very beginning. For short, Hanazuki-sama was a mellowing influence on the Inu no Taishou, and the inhabitants of the West are forever thankful to her for that.

Suien-sama's death greatly affected the Inu no Taishou, and you very well know that, Sesshoumaru-sama. He became a different person, but thank heavens that was for the better. Many of us believed that for the Inu Taiyoukai, taking on a new mate is a healthy way of getting over the death of his beloved wife. But the fact that he fell for a human caused great disappointment among us. And probably, no other youkai is more disappointed with him than the Royal shikayoukai family and me, for we were the precious few people who shared a close friendship with your mother aside from your father."

...o0o...

"_Have you forgotten the Lady Hanazuki, my Lord?" Mizutori said crossly. "Has she truly been replaced by _that _woman?"_

_Inu no Taishou's eyes were dark, but his tone was even. "Sesshoumaru asked me that very same question, Mizutori. That was the first time he spoke of his mother in a hundred years... And the answer is this: though I love Izayoi, she cannnot, nor ever will fill in the place in my heart that Suien -my Hanazuki- alone holds. Hanazuki..." Unexpectedly, his tone became a lot sadder and more withdrawn. "She even requested me to let go of her and move on just in case the worst happens. It was as though she knew that her time was near...but I have never fully let go of her, and I know that the memory of her will be the last images that I will see in my mind when my own time comes."_

_Mizutori, however was far from moved by his words. She rolled eyes and replied with a sarcastic edge in her voice, "You actually _spared _a thought for Hanazuki-sama after all..."_

...o0o...

"_A human lady?" a young man on the royal platform exclaimed. His wife was beside him, and her expression was no less surprised and disapproving as his. Dejection was in their eyes as they gazed upon the other taiyoukai who sat across them._

"_That was how most my own subjects reacted," the silver-haired demon replied glumly. "I am not surprised that you would add to their number."_

_Hisano and Azami glanced at each other rather guiltily. The Lord of the Deer Demons then asked, "And Sesshoumaru-sama? How does he feel about this?" His hair was pulled up in a ponytail similar to the Inu no Taishou's, but unlike his silver-gray tresses, his hair was a slightly wavy mane of rich auburn which when loose reached a hand's span below the shoulder level._

_The defeated sigh from the Lord of the West was all they needed as an answer. But before any of them can say a word, the delicately painted sliding door of the chamber opened and in entered a willowy young demoness carrying a koto. The grace of her movements and the way her long fawn hair flowed down her back made it impossible for them to take their eyes off her for a moment. The Inu no Taishou noted the beautiful face and the powerful aura. She so resembled Hisano that he guessed that she was one of his close relatives._

_She set the koto on the ground bowed deeply before them, her emerald eyes soft and gentle; Hisano nodded approvingly to her._

"_Our dearest daughter, Kikumo," he told the Inu no Taishou. "You may not believe it, but her power is greatly advanced for a Deer youkai her age. I would not be surprised if she grew up to be more powerful than me."_

_For a while, he was speechless. Kikumo's lithe hands began to pluck the strings of the instrument and soon they were spellbound by the music of her fingers. The amber-eyed taiyoukai can hardly believe that she was Kikumo. The Kikumo he remembered was the scrawny little girl from many years before. It may just be because he hardly saw her as the years came by, but by now he can hardly recognize her. The previously featureless flower bud had bloomed, and a beautiful bloom, she was._

_Just then, he thought of his own son, Sesshoumaru. He was very powerful for his age, and heaven knows what pains Hanazuki went through to guide him in the brief time they were together. He also resembled his beautiful mother, and thus it was quite obvious that his looks could break anyone's heart. But alas, Sesshoumaru cared for nothing but power. Can this demoness melt that unfeeling heart of his? If Sesshoumaru and Kikumo joined their two families together...then two powerful bloodlines would be fused, and the friendship of inuyoukai and shikayoukai would finally bear its fruit..._

_Kikumo plucked the last chord of the piece, and the Inu no Taishou went back from his musings. Inwardly, he sighed._

'_No, I must not let my own scheming prevail this time,' he scolded himself. 'Hanazuki...' He recalled the Tsukisawa...the moon...the night. How they met...how they loved...and her final request. Although he would very much like to give his son a secure future, he knew that it might not be to Sesshoumaru's own liking, and their philosophies have clashed many times throughout the years. Besides, it's a choice his son alone could make._

'_Only you can find the one who is destined to share her life with you; whether she is Kikumo or not, let it be so...'_

...o0o...

A strangled sob which she had been striving to keep back for so long finally escaped Kikyou's lips. She tried to run away, run far to escape the haunting emotions which had emerged because of the memory just played before them...but she knew that there was no escape.

"Kikyou!" Sesshoumaru caught her in his arms before she can disappear back into the tall grasses. He cradled her close, and she began to cry against him.

"I was never meant to be your mate!" she sobbed. "Kikumo should have lived! I should have died! Even your father favors her over me!"

Sesshoumaru was temporarily at a loss. He turned angrily towards Mizutori.

"I should kill you for choosing to spite her," he said softly, his amber eyes slightly turning into a shade of red.

"Oh my Lord, I bear no ill-feelings for Lady Kikyou!" Mizutori said in a panicky voice, lowering herself to the lowest she can get. "I didn't know I was doing wrong..."

Sesshoumaru then gently pushed Kikyou away and he made for the other demon's sinewy neck. A frightened squawk escaped Mizutori's throat as his cold fingers clamped themselves tightly around her neck close to the base of her head.

"Please, my Lord!" she pleaded. "I meant no harm! I was only trying to help!"

"In this way you would help us best," Sesshoumaru replied icily, and his hand began to glow a poisonous green. Mizutori began to struggle against him. She knew perfectly well what that attack meant. She had seen the Lady Hanazuki execute it many times. She would become a puddle of melted rigor mortis if he had his way.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kikyou interceded. She placed her hand over his fingers which were wound around the bird demon's throat, and with her touch the glow of his hand faded. "Don't. Let us go home, please."

Sesshoumaru hesitated, looking first into his mate's tearful eyes then to Mizutori's frightened ones. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, he let go of Mizutori. She slumped down the water, as though her knees have lost all their power.

"You should be thankful Kikyou chose to spare your life," he said softly, placing an arm around Kikyou. They were just about to go back into the sea of grass when he stopped for a while, thinking of something. He looked over his shoulder at the cowering youkai. "But before we go, answer me this: where did my mother seal Karatake?"

"To the Minetetsu," Mizutori replied immediately, fearful that he will strike her down if she hesitated for even a moment, "in the Barren Wastes of the Western Lands."

Sesshoumaru looked down at her coldly for a moment, but when at last they went away, Mizutori spread her exhausted wings over the water and rested her head on one of the rocks, tears escaping freely from her sapphire eyes.

...o0o...

Additional story notes:

(1) hahagimi - a term used to refer to one's own mother (counterpart for father: chichiue)

(2) Mitsuseki - mitsu (light); seki (barrier); thus means 'Radiant Barrier'

(3) Meidou - the Other Side, where the dead dwell

* * *

Whaa! This chapter really drained me! I had to rewrite it, for I found out that I was kinda revealing too much information such that the thrill of the next chapters will be gone! But for now, let's leave it at that. Let me sleep for now... (-.-) zzz 

**Lady Fabmel: **Whoo...thanks so much for the review! I was totally caught up with work I barely had time to type up anything. My muse is practically dying! (OH NO!)

**ninalee-chan:**You really think the chapter title is appropriate? I originally thought of using another title, but I thought, "Nah, this one's better." I actually based the sceneries of my stories on real-life places, especially so on the upcoming chapters.

**Cold Kikyo: **As usual, thank you for dropping in a review! ;P

**TheDisruptiveOne: **Hehe, it's kinda long since I took up my pencil and pen to draw again, but it's a good thing my drawings didn't turn out horrible or anything. I am more into landscape, but I have yet to draw all the sceneries I described. -.-

**Moon Mannequin: **Nunu, Inupapa didn't cheat on Hanazuki. (I would NEVER allow it! Just he dare...) Hana-sama died even before Inupapa met Izayoi.

**The East Wind Melts the Ice: **Oh, you remember that scene from IMotC? Good, good!

**Azn kawaii kikyo the devil: **(gulps) Really, you think the last chapter was THAT nice? Boy, am I flattered. Thanks so much!

**Absent of Grace: **Thank you! I will REALLY try to update sooner! I want to finish this fic by the end of May!

**Gossamer Wind: **I sorta did some parallelisms on Voices of the Mist and the last chapter. ;P

**Sapphire Snowflake: **My pwend! I miss ya! Sayang at via internet na lang tayo nagkakausap. But that's what friends are for, right? ;P Keep in touch, ha?

**-meow-: **Thank you! (-miaw- Ahem, I do love cats. No offense meant, Inupapa and Sesshy! o.o)


	11. Chapter 10: The Western Lands in Peril

**X: The Western Lands in Peril**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N**: (thwack) **Me:** - o - yawn... **Kiky:** Time to wake up, Nefertili! **Sessh:** You're making them wait, you wench! (hand on Toukijin) **Me:** (Groggily) What? Oh sure! (eyes Toukijin then gets up and hurriedly goes to the computer with puffy eyes)

...o0o...

They were both silent as they made their way through the grasses. Tears were still flowing freely from Kikyou's mahogany eyes even as they managed to break out of the tall grasses surrounding Mizutori's realm, but she said not a word to Sesshoumaru. He glanced at her many times with concern, but she would not meet his eye, choosing instead to cry silently and keep her thoughts to herself. Sighing inwardly, Sesshoumaru immersed himself with his own thoughts. Going over that wretched bird's words, he slowly began to understand something he failed to see before...

The sun had fully risen from the horizon, but it served little to dissipate the mists blanketing the region. The fog had thickened, and this time it carried a faint smell of decay. Rin and Jaken were greatly relieved to see the former miko and the taiyoukai emerge from the wall of green, but were perplexed to see Kikyou weeping.

"Kikyou-sama, are you all right?" Rin gently asked her foster mother as she helped her mount Ah-Un. The little girl plucked gently at the older woman's sleeve.

Kikyou sniffled and wiped away her tears with her white sleeve. "This is nothing, Rin," she replied quietly with a forced smile, but the anguish in her eyes betrayed her words.

"It's okay, Kikyou-sama," Rin said in an attempt to lift the former priestess' spirits. "Maybe a hug will make you feel better."

Kikyou could not help grinning. This time, her smile was genuine. "I would indeed like that, Rin."

Rin nodded once with that innocent - yet not so - smile of hers. Then she wrapped her small arms around Kikyou's waist and buried her young face in her chest. Rin would very much like to know what upset Kikyou-sama, but her good sense made her decide against asking her about it. It might further hurt Kikyou.

She placed her hands around Rin's little form and hugged the little girl close, bowing her head over the child's smaller one.

'_Oh Rin, if only you can understand what I so wish to tell you!' _Kikyou's thoughts screamed. She shut her eyes furiously, letting loose a new wave of tears.

Jaken looked up inquiringly at Sesshoumaru, who silently watched the two females without even intervening.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, where did you go off to?" the toady retainer asked the tall Demon Lord.

"Nowhere," Sesshoumaru snapped, which sort of frightened the hell out of Jaken. It was rare of Sesshoumaru to snap; therefore it was clear that his wife crying, or whatever reason that made her to, upset him as well. Kikyou opened her eyes and her tear-streaked vision met her mate's amber oculars which looked at her with an almost expressionless stare. Unconsciously, her thought passed back to the event that brought them together: when she was nearly defeated by a great red shinidamachuu and it was Sesshoumaru who came to her aid (1).

He had also looked at her coldly then, but this time she saw a hint of grief in that normally indifferent gaze. And are those amber eyes really going misty? It must only be the effect of her tears... Kikyou blinked several times. No, she was truly seeing it... His eyes really looked as though there was more than the usual amount of tears there. That rare sight made Kikyou freeze in her crying, and she would not have wondered if she was able to compel her tears to stop halfway down her cheeks.

"Anata..." Kikyou muttered. Sesshoumaru's eyes softened slightly to hear her call him by a term of endearment. He gently reached out and touched her tear-streaked cheek.

"I'm afraid it was a mistake to pull you to this rugged place," he said softly. This time even Rin looked up, surprised at the extreme benevolence in their Lord's tone. "Will you ever forgive me, koi?"

Kikyou felt a twinge of guilt. She felt that she must be the one asking for forgiveness, not him. She caused him great concern throughout the journey; she acted so brashly... Kikyou then recalled how Sesshoumaru clamped his hand around Mizutori's neck to end the bird youkai's life, and a shiver passed through her spine. It was never Mizutori's fault. She tried so much to help them, and Kikyou never intended to provoke her husband to harm Hanazuki's retainer. Kikyou vowed silently to herself that she would ask forgiveness from Mizutori one day soon.

Kikyou opened her mouth to protest, but Sesshoumaru placed a finger over her lips, silencing her.

"You are tired, beloved," he said. "I will make sure we will get home as soon as possible." With that, he sat himself behind her and set the two-headed dragon on its way. Jaken, who for a while was rooted to the marshy ground motionless, let out a note of alarm at the thought that they were leaving him behind. He managed to get a hold of the end of Sesshoumaru's fluffy pelt and with Rin's help, scrambled up to Ah-Un's rear. They must have been a quite a sight, a regal Demon Lord and his Lady with their adopted daughter and toad-like retainer, all riding a two-headed dragon in a boggy landscape.

But Kikyou felt as though she no longer had any humor at all. She felt her mate's arms encircling her somber form, and she let him embrace her. Just then, the unborn child in her womb began to roll over as though it could not find a position to its liking. It caused Kikyou some discomfort, and Sesshoumaru immediately wrapped his cream-colored fur around her as he held her close.

'_Sesshoumaru...why are you being so kind to me?' _Kikyou thought with sadness as she cuddled up to him, finding some comfort in the warmth of his body. '_I don't deserve it...'_

...o0o...

Rin let out a high-pitched scream as numerous malformed youkai appeared out of nowhere and blocked their path. Kikyou awoke at once, and Sesshoumaru sprang up in attack, leaving his pelt wrapped around his wife's shoulders. Amber eyes narrowed; these youkai looked strangely familiar. They were ugly beyond comprehension, but there was a strange human quality on their faces, no matter how malformed. A stench of rotting bodies filled the air. And those bamboo spears...

'_Undead humans, possessed by youkai...' _Sesshoumaru immediately thought. The memory of his younger self and his mother fighting similar a similar adversary passed through his mind. '_Karatake's minions.'_

A swing of the Toukijin, and a great mass of the undead were decimated without the blade even touching them. But there were many more...

The air whistled as a great white light flew past him, making his long silvery hair flutter. Masses more of the pathetic zombies disappeared into nothingness as the holy energy purified their dark malice. The handful that was yet untouched by the Toukijin's kenatsu and the hamaya began to scurry away with frightened shrieks, but Sesshoumaru dispatched of them easily with a swipe of his whip of light. He would not have them crawling back to their filthy Master to report on their whereabouts.

"Cowardly creatures," he cursed under his breath as he made his way back to his company. _Yet it was these cowards who managed to mortally injure the Lady Hanazuki... _Kikyou had dismounted, and her bow was drawn. Clearly, it was one of her purity arrows that brought the final blow to the pesky minions.

"What are they?" she asked with concern, rushing to Sesshoumaru quickly and looking up at his collected features. "Are they Karatake's underlings?"

"_Whose_ underlings?" Jaken interrogated. He had yet to know of their master's evil uncle.

"It's them, indeed," Sesshoumaru replied to his wife, gently running a hand through her long raven hair. He then looked away with a serious expression in his face. "They have entered the West. War is now inevitable."

Kikyou clasped at her lover's silken haori and her heart felt as though it no longer had the will to keep on beating.

...o0o...

They reached the fortress without encountering another of the evil Moon Elemental's minions. Kikyou (more at Sesshoumaru's request than her own will) and Rin were resting within the comfort of their futons, but Sesshoumaru knew that he was not to take any chances if he was to keep secure the lands his father worked so hard to attain.

"Jaken," he said to his stubby retainer, who was constantly on his heels since the previous attack, pressing him for information which he only vaguely replied to. But Jaken was not as brainless as others would have thought. With just a few words, he was able to understand that the Western Lands are now in great peril, and Sesshoumaru-sama will stop at nothing to exterminate the pests.

"Yes, milord!" Jaken replied with his loyal answer, bowing low before the silver-haired taiyoukai.

Sesshoumaru looked down at his servant coldly for a second. Then he returned his gaze back to the mountains beyond, pondering on something. It was already afternoon, for their journey back home from Mizutori's took them most of the day, and they were slowed at some point by the marauding minions of Karatake's.

"Fetch the Deer youkai and tell him that he is to come before me immediately," he ordered, his amber-gold eyes flashing with a dangerous expression. Jaken immediately understood the person Lord Sesshoumaru was talking about. The other taiyoukai...Isamu, isn't it? The Lord of the Deer Demons who had offered his Clan's allegiance to Sesshoumaru nearly two days past...

Jaken bowed lower to the ground, stammering, "Y-yes, milord! I will go at once! I won't return without him!" With that, he ran as fast as his toady feet can carry him to rouse the sleeping two-headed dragon which was tethered in an inauspicious corner of the vast gardens. Amidst the rather derogatory remarks he spat at the Lord of the Deer Clan when he appeared at their doorstep, Jaken believed that he would indeed make a vital ally in such a treacherous time as this. After all, was not the fighting prowess of the Deer demons impressive during the last battle they fought alongside the Dog Clan, in the war of revenge against the Hyounekozoku?

Sesshoumaru watched as his retainer mounted Ah-Un and set him off in flight to the borderlands. His eyes narrowed slightly. Would it be wise to fly? It might attract the attention of their enemies, who would wonder in no time why Lord Sesshoumaru's vassal is off to call the Royal Family of the Deer Clan to an important meeting...

He shook his dark thoughts away and stood up like the high and mighty Demon Lord that he is. Now was not the time to think of such things. His beloved wife...their unborn child...his departed mother...her unfinished will... They all tugged at his senses, and throughout his life as the Lord of the Western Lands, he seldom felt such a heavy responsibility. His subjects served him without much second thought, and those who hesitated even a moment paid with their lives. They never caused him much of a problem. Such irony! How one can be more challenged as a son and husband than one can be as an all-powerful lord his domain...

Sighing rather dejectedly to himself, Sesshoumaru made his way to the shade of an ancient willow tree rooted at the center of a small island. The island, in turn, was in a large pond located in the gardens of the fortress, which was watered by a natural stream running through the mossy rock and soil. Its path had hardly changed through the years, the clear water ran pretty much the same through the landscape as it had centuries before, when his father first built and took abode in the fortress. Hanazuki came there to dwell after she became his mate, and the place of the willow was a favorite spot of hers.

Kikyou had been very fascinated with their place of dwelling, which was more garden than building. Ordinary humans would have considered it tiresome to maintain the general upkeep of such gardens, but Kikyou spent most her time among the plants, carefully tending each of them with loving care. Her delight was in their flowering, and many a day she and Rin would play hide-and-seek among the age-old trees, or chased the fish as they swam downstream.

Kikyou had remarked to Sesshoumaru that the garden breathed a different life in each of the seasons. The _momiji _was magnificent in autumn, when their leaves took on glorious palettes of red and gold. The _sakura_ and the _ume_ were at their best in spring, and in the winter the smell of _matsu_ went unhindered. The willow likewise was verdant most in the spring, but it still remained beautiful even at the present season, the rainy days of late summer. (2)

Sesshoumaru stopped temporarily beside the stream. Although there had been a burst of flowering colors among the water-loving plants at the onset of the rainy season, he was indifferent to the beauty of the gardens for most of the time. But now, he can clearly see crystalline droplets of water dripping down the deep green leaves, the violet petals of the _shobu _and the delicate fringes of the purple-eyed _kawaranadesiko_. His mother, the Lady Suien, was extremely fond of the dianthus and the water lily because the flowers of the Tsukisawa looked like a cross of the two, and it was indeed a great shame that the _hanazuki _could bloom in her birthplace alone. She would have wanted to cultivate them close at hand like she did before she met his father.

He stepped near the water's edge and looked at the smoothly rippling water of the stream. Amber eyes looked back at him with the same cold stare before the passing of a fallen _hana tachibana_ petal distorted his reflection. Sesshoumaru turned away and continued to the willow. He stepped over the flat stones which served as a bridge and soon he was beneath the dark canopy of the tree. The long drooping leaves fell about him like curtains, hiding him securely within the deepening shadows.

Sesshoumaru stood still before the great trunk of the willow for a few moments before he sat on one of the massive roots protruding above the ground, closing his eyes and his mind temporarily from the outside world.

...o0o...

Kikyou never felt so restless. For a couple of minutes she lay tossing and turning in her futon, hoping to get some rest as her husband had requested her to do. But she doubted if the present circumstances would grant her any rest at all. Finally, after a few more tosses, she angrily pulled the blanket away from her body and crawled out of the futon. Rin was deeply asleep in a futon beside her. Kikyou gently kissed the sleeping girl's forehead in a motherly fashion before standing up.

Kikyou rarely slept in the same room with Rin, but for security reasons Kikyou had insisted that they do so this time. She had her own room whilst Kikyou and Sesshoumaru shared the spacious quarters. Jaken had stubbornly insisted that he needed no sleeping quarters, preferring to instead spend the night outside beside the stream where he felt most at home. But whenever the weather permitted, he slept in a narrow cot in the inner recesses of the fortress.

Leaning against the wooden panel of the door, Kikyou took in the sight of the gardens in the afternoon. The sun would set in an hour, and the green hues of the foliage gradually began to deepen as the light waned. The skies were gray and told impending rain. She followed the line of the stream and was surprised to see Sesshoumaru standing beside it, seemingly deep in thought.

The former miko chose to keep silent and observed her husband. In that imperious way of his, Sesshoumaru abruptly turned. At one moment, Kikyou thought that he had spotted her, but he gave no indication that he had. Instead, he crossed the stepping stones of the pond nearly covered completely by water lily leaves and their star-like flowers. Soon, he disappeared from her sight as he went into the secluded shadows of the great willow on the island, the only tree of its kind in the whole gardens.

Her curiosity got the better of her, not even thinking if he would berate her for not resting. What was Sesshoumaru up to? Kikyou gracefully descended the several steps leading down the verandah and slowly went his way. The hems of her hakama were dampened slightly by the wet, short grass, but it was the least of her problems. Without a word, Kikyou stepped over the bridge of stones and entered the silent shade just as her husband had.

...o0o...

"Darling?" she called out softly; amber eyes immediately opened like two golden lamps in the darkness.

"Kikyou?" Sesshoumaru answered in reply. Her silhouette was clear against the darkening background, and she let fall the willow leaves about her as she joined him in the silence of the surroundings. Kikyou then went up to him and boldly sat on his lap whilst kissing him tenderly on the lips. His golden eyes softened and he returned the show of affection.

"About what happened in Mizutori's place..." Kikyou said upon breaking the kiss. Uncertainty was in her tone; she didn't know how to phrase her words or where to begin. Sesshoumaru let out a snort.

"Don't even spare a thought for that inconsiderate wench," he said with distaste. "You should have allowed me to end her miserable life."

"Please don't say that!" Kikyou pleaded. "I just lost control; that is all. I doubt Okaa-sama would approve of your actions if you killed her long-time friend, especially because of me!"

But Sesshoumaru knew her well. She didn't 'simply' lose control as she previously claimed. It was the ghost of Kikumo...she still hadn't departed from them, it seems.

"Listen to me, Kikyou," Sesshoumaru said with a serious edge. Kikyou knew that it was a command, and she had learned through the years to obey him, the way he had learned to give in to her as well. "What we saw back there was only a memory. You don't need to be so affected by it!"

"_Only _a memory?" Kikyou retorted, frowning slightly. "It was your father's memory, Sesshoumaru."

A frown passed across Sesshoumaru's face as well, but he said, "What now if it is his memory? He did not exactly carry out what he planned, did he?"

Kikyou felt frustration rising from within her. She and Sesshoumaru had gotten into some serious arguments when her human beliefs and his youkai nature collided.

"If he found out that you had deserted a beautiful, _powerful _Demon Princess for a low-class human like me..." she found herself saying.

"_So?" _Sesshoumaru answered back in a callous tone he rarely used on her. "Father granted me to choose, and that's what I did. And I did not exactly 'desert' Kikumo, as you put it. You know that very well. Circumstances caused us to drift apart; I found you and I loved you. I honestly don't see why you should cry over that matter!"

Tears sprung up Kikyou's eyes then, and Sesshoumaru fell silent. He must have hurt her, and he privately cursed himself. Cupping her cheeks in his hands, he kissed her forehead gently to make up for the unintentional harshness earlier.

Kikyou sniffled, but she managed to hold back her tears and she gave him a pained smile. Sesshoumaru felt a heavy feeling in his heart, the same feeling which made his eyes misty earlier during the day. It tugged more at his heartstrings to see Kikyou hiding her hurt behind a forced smile than when she cried.

"You mustn't...punish yourself for loving me, Kikyou," he whispered in a more docile tone that undid her completely. The strings which had been holding up her smile snapped apart, and she began to cry in the earnest now, digging her face within the hollow of his neck. She vented out all the anguish in her chest. For Kikumo's death. For the tragedy of her parents-in-law. For the grief of ages past. For the uncertainty of the present. _For everything..._

In silence, Sesshoumaru let her. Personally he was using Kikyou's tears to mourn his own ruined childhood and his thoughtlessness in the past. By now, night had descended upon the land, and the distant chirping of crickets and cicadas began to ring clear in the twilight air. Fireflies appeared about them, and he watched them blink their lighted bodies on and off as they danced among the willow branches. With the appearance of the fireflies, a similar scene returned to his thoughts. A glade in the moonlight. The silence of the trees. How he first entered her body and they became one... (3)

"Yes...you're right," Kikyou whispered, pulling apart from him slightly. Now that she had poured out most of the grief within her, she felt an extraordinary sense of serenity, of relief. Strange it is, to shed a million tears in just one day.

Their eyes met. They smiled, and there was peace between them. She touched his cheek, her fingers brushing his lips. "We never made a mistake in loving each other. Oh, anata, I love you so much..."

"I love you too, koi," Sesshoumaru replied sincerely, caressing her silken hair. "There is something I would like to tell you. Something that might - _just might_ - turn the tide of this impending war."

At once, Kikyou sat up to listen. But even before Sesshoumaru can say another word, a strong wind blew through the garden and made the willow leaves quiver. They both stood up, and soon Jaken's croaky voice reached their ears.

"Sesshoumaru-samaaaa! We have arrived, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Sesshoumaru turned to Kikyou and took her by the hand, saying, "We are meeting someone, Kikyou."

...o0o...

Uneven footfalls echoed clearly through the rocky, lifeless crags. A troop of hideously formed youkai began to cluster at the base of the dark rock formation which jutted out like a raised fist above the wasteland. They were not the only ones there, for two dragons not unlike the one Kikyou encountered at the start of the week clung to the nearly vertical rock with their sharp claws, snapping at each other with their sharp teeth and forked tongues.

A faint burst of youki from the cold rock, and they all fell silent. In their minds, they heard the voice which had summoned them there, a voice which sounded as though it had come from the grave.

"_The time of reckoning is close at hand. Sister, your wretched son will join you soon..."_

* * *

Additional story notes:

(1) "when she was nearly defeated by a great red shinidamachuu and it was Sesshoumaru who came to her aid" - Chapter One of _In Memory of the Chrysanthemum_

(2) momiji - maple  
sakura - cherry  
ume - plum  
matsu - pine  
shobu - sweet flag iris (purple iris)  
kawaranadesiko (I think 'deshiko' is also accepted) - dianthus (the purple fringed type, how I love it!)  
hana tachibana - blossom of the mandarin orange

(3) "A glade in the moonlight. The silence of the trees. How he first entered her body and they became one..." – _Voices of the Mist_

...o0o...

Whoa, I kinda loaded you with Japanese flower names, huh? I hope you don't mind... **Kiky: **Nef, what exactly is Sesshoumaru going to tell me? **Me: **(smiles mischievously) That's what the next chapter is for.

**Lady Fabmel:** Uh-huh, I kinda agree with you about Sesshy's bouts of cruelty (I really do, you know!), but as you said, that's how fans envision him. ;P

**Azn kawaii kikyo the devil:** Aaaw, I am happy you are hooked! XD Anyway, I wouldn't want you failing your subjects because of my stories... -.- I learned my lesson the hard way, and it's not nice, I tell you.

**TheDisruptiveOne:** I assure you, Kikumo is actually in this story! In the most unexpected ways (smirks)...

**Cold Kikyo:** Yay, thanks for the review! I could not quite thank ya enough!

**Gossamer Wind:** Thank you, thank you!

**The East Wind Melts the Ice:** Yeah, I am starting to think SesshKiku is cute... XD No offense meant, Kiky, I like you too with Sesshy...

**anoniemous:** Thanks! I have a feeling I know you... ;P


	12. Chapter 11: The Eve of War

**XI: The Eve of War**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **Yes, I am finally reaching approximately halfway through my fic! I'll admit I kinda got emotional over the last chapter. **Sessh: **(glares) How dare you expose my sentimental nature! **Me: **Ooops! Sorry, Sesshy-sama! XD

...o0o...

With an inquisitive look in her mahogany eyes, Kikyou allowed Sesshoumaru to lead her out of the darkening shade of the willow tree. Who are they meeting now? Strange it is, to be able to spend almost two years in the Western Lands without even encountering other prominent youkai aside from her husband... But then, it was Sesshoumaru who chose to keep her and Rin hidden, and Kikyou couldn't blame him. She loved him, and she would do all that she can to spare him from the pride-scarring remarks of other demons without having to sacrifice their relationship.

The main building of the fortress was dark, but dots of light soon emerged as Jaken began to light the lamps in a wide room which functions as a reception room for visitors. Not that they ever had a great number of them, that is. Thus, Kikyou was more perplexed than ever to see a willowy figure dismount from the steady form of Ah-Un before the steps of the building to follow Jaken into the room.

In the dim light, Kikyou judged that the figure was that of a man, but the aura was that of a demon...a Deer Demon's, to be exact. Sesshoumaru had summoned one of Kikumo's kin, but why? Unconsciously, she clutched at Sesshoumaru's arm, and he patted her cheek with the back of his hand to ease her troubled spirits.

"I would like you to put your complete trust in me," Sesshoumaru whispered to her. "No matter what I say, just trust me."

The pulse of his words further increased Kikyou's confusion, but she replied, "I have always trusted you, Sesshoumaru. And I always will."

Interpreting this answer as an assurance, he spoke no more. Kikyou longed to look into his eyes and perhaps see there an echo of his purposes, but the shadows prevented her from seeing the expression on her beloved's face. They were near the fortress now, and both chose to keep silent as they walked up the four steps. Following the stretch of the verandah, they came upon the screens which served as the door to the dimly lit room.

Sesshoumaru whipped out one of his hands, and in a swift motion, he swept aside the intricately painted screen. Unlike the other screens of the fortress, this one was made of mother-of-pearl, the gleaming surface delicately reflecting the rosy light from within. He motioned to Kikyou that she should enter first, and she nodded once in his direction before doing as he asked. Once she was fully inside the chamber, she was met squarely in the eye by equally inquisitive coal-black oculars that gleamed like polished onyx in the flickering light.

...o0o...

Isamu instantly recognized the woman in the miko garments as the same human lady he caught sight of in the woods when he first paid a visit to Sesshoumaru to offer his allegiance. He had been puzzled by the presence of humans in the Lord of the West's domain, but he knew better than to question the Lord Sesshoumaru.

"Ah, Sesshoumaru-sama!" the toady retainer which led him to the room piped up, bowing with his head touching the mats laid down on the wooden floor.

Almost at once, the silver-haired taiyoukai stepped inside the chamber. Isamu stood up at once and bowed his head in his direction.

"You summoned me, Sesshoumaru-sama," he said softly, raising his head after the formal greeting. In his full stature, he was nearly as tall as Sesshoumaru, the golden brown of his hair enhanced by the yellow light of the lamps. "And here I am."

Sesshoumaru gazed coldly but not unpleasantly at the other Demon Lord. He then placed an arm around the young raven-haired woman's shoulders whilst saying, "She is my mate, Kikyou."

Neither Kikyou nor Isamu could believe their ears. Kikyou, that Sesshoumaru was openly declaring to another youkai about her relations to him. Isamu, that the Lord Sesshoumaru had a human lady for a mate. But his reaction was not like that of most youkai when told such a surprising (even unacceptable in some youkai's point of view) statement. He and his wife were very liberal with their ideas concerning the interaction of humans and demons, and unlike most of their kind they did not consider the ningen race to be overly inferior to the blood of youkai.

Once he had gotten over the initial shock, Isamu bowed to Kikyou in the manner of youkai when acknowledging a powerful Demon Lady. Smiling respectfully, he said, "It is a great privilege to meet you, Lady Kikyou. I am Isamu, Lord of the Shikayoukai. The Deer Clan will gladly be of service to you and the Lord Sesshoumaru."

Kikyou felt very self-conscious at this great show of respect, and all that she could give as a reply was a nod, keeping her eyes on her feet. Her gaze pretended indifference, but deep inside she knew that she can hardly be indifferent to such matters. Why was this Deer Demon - and a taiyoukai at that! - addressing her like a noble lady? She was only a simple woman, after all. She may have been the Keeper of the fabled Shikon no Tama, but that was _years_ ago...

"Why did you instruct me to fetch him, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken queried, breaking the silence that had settled upon them. He scurried before the amber-eyed taiyoukai and kneelt at his feet.

"You did not arrive as quickly as I expected," Sesshoumaru answered, his icy voice cutting through the humid air like a knife.

Shivers of fear went over Jaken's spine, and he touched his forehead to the mats whilst saying, "Ah! Forgive me, Sesshoumaru-sama! I was nearly cut to pieces by the sentinels of the Deer youkai when I demanded to see their lord..."

"Please accept my apology, milord," the dark-eyed Deer Demon spoke up to spare Jaken from further trouble. "I had given an order for my soldiers to be more cautious, considering the presence of invading youkai. They were unaware that you have sent your servant to summon me."

After a moment of silence, Sesshoumaru spoke up once more, his amber eyes narrowing at the cowering figure of his retainer at his feet. "Get out, Jaken, before my claws send you to the Other Side."

Jaken didn't need to be told twice. Getting up to his feet rather clumsily, he staggered out of the room, pulling the screens closed behind him.

Sesshoumaru's golden orbs lingered long on the door before they returned to the other taiyoukai before him. Then, to Kikyou's astonishment, they sat - or rather, knelt in a formal fashion - on the mats at almost the same time, as though they'd rehearsed. She was about to make her way outside the room, but Sesshoumaru's voice stopped her.

"No, Kikyou. You are needed here."

Kikyou blinked once and took a seat beside her husband, who gave her an ever so slight smile. This eased up her nerves a bit, and she had enough strength to smile back before her face assumed a neutral gaze once more, fixing her gaze instead on the light of the lamp that burned between them and Isamu.

Isamu observed all this silent show of affection between the taiyoukai and the human lady. There was no doubt that they enjoyed each other's company even if they were of two different races. Kikyou was beautiful, no doubt about that, and what's more, he can feel a great spiritual power radiating from her. The presence of this mysterious woman helped Isamu look at Sesshoumaru from a different perspective. He was known to despise humankind, but why did he have a human for a mate? Surely, surely, there must be a part of him that is not as cruel as the way he treated the toad he had for a servant...?

"You mentioned that you would give your aid to the Dog Clan if we asked," Sesshoumaru said in that quiet yet commanding manner of his, observing the Deer youkai who sat across him and Kikyou.

The silver-haired taiyoukai's words made Isamu snap out of his stupor. Blinking once, he nodded seriously.

"Indeed, Sesshoumaru-sama," the dark-eyed taiyoukai replied.

Sesshoumaru was silent for a while, as though considering something. His gaze spoke of aloofness, and in the silence that dominated the chamber, a cricket's chirp rang clearly. The several lamps that illuminated the room caused a haunting interplay of shadows to dance on the walls and on the screens. The painted landscape of a copse of maple trees in autumn looked strangely alive in the yellow-orange light, and the balmy atmosphere of the room made Kikyou feel a little drowsy. But when he at last spoke, his words caused Kikyou to look up, a look of pure surprise on her eyes.

"I shall go forth to battle against the spineless invaders," Sesshoumaru said. His tone was flat, as though the subject disinterested him completely. "Kikyou and another human child are to take shelter under your wing."

Kikyou opened her mouth as though to retort, but Sesshoumaru's amber orbs flashed in her direction with a stern look. She caught herself just in time, but when she returned her gaze back to the flame, her hands were clenched against the fabric of her hakama.

Now, the reason behind Sesshoumaru requesting her earlier to put her complete trust in him made sense. She understood that sooner or later he must indeed go to war in his mother's name, but it was so soon...too soon! And she was to remain behind, without even offering him the least of aid? How could he...?

Does he seriously think that she was a weak person who needed to be protected by someone else regarding such matters?

_Does he think she cannot help him?_

He never breathed a word to her about his plans! Furious thoughts and curses came one after another in her mind. If not for her love of him, she would have lashed out at him with her holy powers. Kikyou knew that Sesshoumaru had her best interests at heart, but she felt doubly betrayed. _Damn you, Sesshoumaru..._

Isamu can see that Kikyou wasn't at all pleased with this proposition, but he nonetheless said, "My wife will be more than glad to take them in. We shall make sure that not a hair on their heads shall be harmed." He then recalled that he saw Kikyou with a little girl a few days before...she must be the human child Sesshoumaru was talking about.

"Very well," Sesshoumaru replied coolly, but from the corner of his eyes he can see that Kikyou was glowering in silence. "No one except those who can be truly trusted is to know of this."

"It shall be, my Lord," Isamu answered. "When shall Kikyou-sama be entrusted to us?"

"Come back tomorrow morning. You are to go alone. I won't have a whole entourage knowing of our whereabouts."

Kikyou can hardly believe her ears. Does Sesshoumaru know what he was doing? She dreaded the thought that war would separate, but _tomorrow...?_

'_Sesshoumaru, please, I need more time...' _Kikyou thought, the swiftness of time nearly choking her. '_I need more time with you...please...'_

Sesshoumaru knew what she was thinking of. If she only knew, he was deeply upset about having to part with her as she was, but it was a necessary sacrifice. The road may be long, but one would reach one's destination sooner or later. In the end, Karatake will break Hanazuki's seal and once that happens there would be no choice for them. Time...cruel time...will there ever be moment when it would come to their favor?

"What about the battle, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Isamu's words barely penetrated Kikyou's ears as her thoughts blocked out most of the sounds coming from the outside. "Is there not a way we could aid you in that field?"

Amber eyes narrowed slightly. Sesshoumaru was having doubts about that matter, and now that Isamu brought it up he could not ignore it. Sesshoumaru felt that the battle was rather personal; it was originally between his mother and her brother to the Moon, and thus he must do it alone. Not that he was keen on gathering an army from the very start. Sesshoumaru had distrusted many of the youkai inhabiting the West in war. They had been useless in the war of revenge against the Cat clan more than fifty years ago, and things were slow to change among youkai. If not for the Deer Demons and the sudden withdrawal of the enemy, the West would have been lost...

'_The shikayoukai...'_

Sesshoumaru looked straight at the coal-black eyes of their present ruler. Isamu stared back unflinchingly. Would the Deer Demons be as eager to help as they had during those times? Sesshoumaru had no doubt that if Kikumo had lived, her people would have marched at once alongside them. But he did not know Isamu. He did not know him as he had known the Flower of the Deer Clan, and Sesshoumaru had serious misgivings about trusting the shikayoukai now that they had a different leader.

Interestingly, Isamu had a similar train of thoughts as they looked at each other in silence. He was no member of the Royal family of his clan, remember. He owed much of his present position to the Queen, but he was no self-centered person to mate with her for that purpose. They were childhood friends, and it was their choice to commit to one another. It was no set-up scheme; they truly loved one another. But was Isamu ready to renew the allegiances started by their late Lord Hisano? Isamu had no doubt heard of the Inu no Taishou, for he was a great legend even after his death. But Sesshoumaru, his son, was a totally different person. Would he and Isamu get along at all?

"Sesshoumaru, I know you intend to defeat our enemy alone, but..." Kikyou spoke for the first time in Isamu's presence. Her expression was still gloomy, but they can see that her anger had worn off a bit. "I suggest that you accept Isamu's aid. Please, if it's the last thing you would do for me... Don't do this alone."

Sesshoumaru and Isamu looked at her. Isamu couldn't help but be impressed with this quiet human female. Beneath the sad exterior there was indeed genuine care for the one she loved. His wife would indeed be delighted with her, and they would make good friends.

Her husband, on the other hand, considered her suggestion with a little bit of reluctance. Kikyou seldom asked for favors, and he can hardly ignore the pleading tone she used. He can only imagine her pain, of being with child at a time like this...of the possibility of losing her husband and with him her life... Would fate ever grant her peace for even the shortest time?

"Do you really intend to offer me assistance in battle?" Sesshoumaru questioned Isamu.

"We do, Sesshoumaru-sama," Isamu replied earnestly, bowing low before the other taiyoukai. "The army of the shikayoukai is ready to march on your command, my Lord."

"Then so be it," Sesshoumaru said, ending the matter with the four words. "You have my leave to go."

Isamu was rather surprised at having been dismissed so abruptly, but he was deeply relieved to be allowed to leave. He had another important matter at hand...

"Do you think that is wise?" Kikyou countered, gently placing a hand on Sesshoumaru's arm. Her mahogany eyes then looked upon the fair-haired Lord of the Deer Demons with a kind gaze. "The night is advancing, and the clouds bring rain. Perhaps, if you spend the night here...?"

"Lady Kikyou is most kind," Isamu answered humbly, bowing in her direction. "But I would have to turn down your offer. My wife is currently in labor, and I would like to be there when my child is delivered. Besides, I would have to give the necessary orders to ready our soldiers and to accommodate your stay, milady."

Isamu's words made Kikyou and Sesshoumaru look at one another. Isamu's mate was expecting a child? And he had to leave her in her labor so he can discuss the plans of battle with Sesshoumaru?

"You didn't have to..." Kikyou found herself saying, but Isamu shook his head firmly and stood up.

"It was my decision to go to Sesshoumaru-sama when he summoned me," he said. "Please don't think of it too much, my lord and my lady. I will return tomorrow in the expected time. Farewell, Sesshoumaru-sama and Kikyou-sama!"

With that, he bowed one last time and silently slid the screens open. In a gush of wind that made the lights flicker, a huge stag leaped out of the verandah and galloped into the dark forest. They only heard faint sounds of leaves rustling. With his passing the rain let loose its tears, drowning the world in the sound of the downpour.

...o0o...

It was long before any of them spoke. The howling of the wind and the deafening claps of thunder bounced around the deserted corridors, but it seemed as though time had stopped for the two lone figures in the wide cavern. Cold raindrops began to enter through the open door, successfully extinguishing one of the lamps. But even as the merciless wind began to play with their long hair, they refused to say a word.

Finally, after the great moment of silence, Kikyou stirred, looking up at her mate with an unreadable expression. Sesshoumaru's hand moved over hers and clasped it gently, as though to make up for whatever heartache he had caused her earlier.

"He also has a child..." her thoughts slipped from her without her knowing. Sesshoumaru's arm went about her fully, and she leaned her torso against him. "It seems we are not so alone after all, Sesshoumaru."

"I know you were not that pleased with my decision to keep you from the war," Sesshoumaru said, resting his head against hers. "But I hope you understand my reasons for doing so."

"Do you not trust me, Sesshoumaru?" she answered softly, her tone a bit harder than usual. "I still have my miko powers, and I will stand beside you in the battlefield if I have to."

"You have my trust, Kikyou," he replied. "But think of our baby. Should you die, another life will die with you. I cannot allow that to happen. I won't have your deaths in my conscience."

Kikyou knew this answer, for she would have given the same if she were in his place. Sighing, she said, "I know. You would have your way in the end, and there is nothing I can do about it." A rather guilty look passed across Sesshoumaru's face, but he did not contradict her. Knowing that she had somehow offended her beloved, Kikyou changed the topic.

"What were you trying to tell me before Isamu came?"

Sesshoumaru looked temporarily surprised, but realization soon softened his amber eyes. He shifted his position such that he and Kikyou were face to face, and he began to speak in a hushed voice, for he wanted no one but Kikyou to hear what he was saying.

"You know of hahagimi's rhyme, don't you?" he asked.

Kikyou nodded, tilting her head to the side with a curiously. Then, together, they began to intone the words.

"_A shard of the moon,  
O'er mist coming and going,  
A jewel of doom,  
O'er water still, unmoving,  
O'er depths endless, a-waiting."_

Sesshoumaru gave her an approving nod, then he said, "That is but the first part of the entire rhyme. When we visited Mizutori, I found out that she knew not of the final part, that which Mother herself taught me."

Kikyou nodded again, trying to hide her confusion. To spare her from further questions, he continued the Rhyme of the Tsukisawa and the Mitsuseki. She can hardly hear him through the sound of the rain, but she caught the words with some effort. The other half was as mysterious as the first.

"_Cleaver of heaven, arise.  
With your unwithering sheen,  
Open to their eyes  
The side of the moon unseen,  
The shadow of death foreseen._

_Bring forth to the light... _

A shard of the moon,  
O'er mist coming and going,  
A jewel of doom,  
O'er water still, unmoving,  
O'er depths endless, a-waiting."

She sat there spellbound by the steady chanting of her husband's voice, and when at last he ceased to speak, she silently went over the rest of the poem in her mind. But she could find no sense or enlightenment with the rest of the rhyme, and she looked desperately at Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru then reached within his garments and took from his silken robe an object swathed in black silk. He held it out to Kikyou, who gingerly took it from his hands. Looking at him for permission, she unwrapped the mysterious object from its silken wrapping and soon she held in her hands a knife, sheathed in leather.

Kikyou turned the knife over in her hand, searching for anything special. It was, in truth, a rather battered-looking knife, no longer than her hand. The pieces of cloth wrapped around the handle of the blade were peeling off, and the black leather of its sheath was marred by wrinkles.

"Take it out of its sheath," he said to her.

Silently, she pulled the battered old piece of leather from the blade of the knife, and she can see that amidst the signs of age, the metal still shone with sharpness. She ran her fingers over the blunt side, and she frowned slightly when she reached the tip of the blade. It appears to have been broken off.

Kikyou turned the knife over once again, and a surprising inscription caught her eye. Etched near the base of the blade, close to where the handle met the metal, were characters that spelled _tsuki no kakera_.

"'Shard of the moon...'" the meaning of the words slipped from her mouth. Her eyes widened and she looked up at Sesshoumaru. "It can't be! _A shard of the moon o'er mist coming and going!"_

A slight smirk was formed in the corner of Sesshoumaru's mouth.

"My mother's true name is _Suien_," he explained further. "It could mean _mist over water_."

Enthusiasm at this unfolding edge of the mystery changed the color of Kikyou's eyes. She excitedly took Sesshoumaru's hand, saying, "The _jewel of doom _is the Mitsuseki. The _still, unmoving water_ and _endless depths_ speak of the Tsukisawa..." But Mizutori said that only with the 'right sword' shall he be able to harness those powers... She was holding a _knife_ in her handsit couldn't be the _right sword_... Then, the second part of the rhyme hit her in the head.

'_Cleaver of heaven, arise...'_

_Cleaver of heaven._

Blade of heaven.

Tenseiga.

She stood up at once, still holding the knife reverently in her hands. For a while she could not speak. Sesshoumaru stood up as well, and when her mahogany eyes locked with his amber oculars, it seemed that they were able to speak straight into one another's heart with the mere glance. Kikyou threw herself in his arms, clutching the knife close to her chest in one hand. Sesshoumaru's arms went about her and he nuzzled her head with his face.

"You will come back, Sesshoumaru," she whispered. "You will come back and we will watch our child grow...together."

...o0o...

A pained moan left the young demoness' mouth as another of the painful contractions rocked her nether region. Isamu held her hand tightly and comfortingly. She opened her emerald eyes and looked at him lovingly. Then, with great effort in her part, she smiled slightly and said, "You'd better make the proper arrangements for Lady Kikyou. I would have done it myself, but I am kind of occupied at the moment..." Her last word was drowned by a soft cry as a fresh wave of pain went through her.

"Those matters can wait," Isamu replied, cupping her sweaty cheek tenderly. "I will stay beside you."

But the she-youkai in labor shook her head steadfastly. "No, beloved. War is upon us; such matters shall not wait. I will be all right. Besides, I have Asagao with me." Her eyes went to the quiet female figure kneeling beside her.

Asagao bowed when the demoness called her by name. Isamu sat for a while, thinking, but he soon gave into the wish of his beloved. He kissed her on her forehead and assured her that he will be back soon. Once he had left the room, the Demon Lady let her smile vanish as the pains of labor began to take its toll on her.

"My Lady, I don't think it is wise of Lord Isamu to allow a human to take shelter in our place..." Asagao muttered.

The demoness on the verge of giving birth shot her companion a steely glare.

"In all the years you have served me, the one point we never agreed upon was the matter regarding the human race..." the Demon Lady said with difficulty, but she said no more as she concentrated her strength on delivering her child.

Asagao said nothing, but she quietly tended to her mistress as the birth drew closer, revealing her thoughts to no one but herself.

...o0o...

Yehey, we're getting somewhere in the line of the Rhyme! ;P In case you're wondering how Sesshy got the knife, go back to Chapter Five and you will see that his mother gave it to him before she died. But _what_ exactly is the role of the _tsuki no kakera_ in the Rhyme? And who exactly is Isamu's wife? o.o Find out the answer in the upcoming chapters!

**Lady Fabmel:** Yeah, Sesshy can be sweet sometimes, ne? ;P **Sessh:** (gives a dagger look)

**Sweet Ruby Moon:** I know, I hate wars too... And no need to get worked up! I won't revert back to SesshxKiku! (I don't wanna make Sesshy a two-timer like his little bro. coughcough.)

**Eruanne:** Ah, finally, my dedicated reader finally submitted a review:)

**The Celestial Inferno Rose:** I SOagree with you! The pairing itself is already close to impossible, but hey, there's always a freaking possibility. -.- Thanks for the review!

**Cold Kikyo:** It's been long since I wrote a bittersweet chapter as that, right? Me glad you liked it!

**Azn kawaii kikyo the devil:** Hehe. Those flower names went through some serious research. I have to match the flowers with the season of the story (the rainy days at the end of summer).

**Gossamer Wind:** Sessh can also be a sweet prince charming... XD

**The East Wind Melts the Ice:** Yeah, I wish I can live in that place instead of simply describing it... -.-

**astrea:** There will be more action soon, I promise!


	13. Chapter 12: In the Shikayoukai Fortress

**XII: In the Fortress of the Shikayoukai**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **Okay, here's Chapter 12! I just can't help but remember the ch12 of IMotC...Sesshy and Kiky's first kiss. XD It REALLY seems so long ago... It's kinda raining in my place too, so it's not hard for me to understand how Sess and Kik are feeling under the weather.

...o0o...

Kikyou was so caught up with the ecstasy of recovering a major lost piece of her mother-in-law's puzzle that for a while she remained transfixed in Sesshoumaru's arms. But as they went over the many aspects of Hanazuki's mysterious rhyme, a bitter truth began to arise. Like the shadow of rising mist, a gloomy realization came upon them: they may have found the right sword, but the Mitsuseki, the Radiant Barrier, was still far beyond their reach. It was just like having a key with no lock to fit it into.

"Okaa-sama's jewel," Kikyou whispered hastily, pulling apart from his tight embrace. "There is so little time, and we have yet to find it..." The Tsukisawa, where Mizutori thought the jewel was interred, was a blank terra incognita to them.

"_In the uncharted regions of the borders of the West, close to the realm where the Deer youkai live..."_

Mizutori's words repeated themselves in Kikyou's mind, and before she knew it, her mahogany eyes had looked up at Sesshoumaru's amber oculars with a meaningful glimmer. Sesshoumaru frowned; to him her eyes were portals to her thoughts, and he immediately grasped what she was thinking of by the mere glance.

"I did not entrust you to Isamu's people to look for the Jewel, Kikyou," he replied sternly.

The glow in Kikyou's face dimmed considerably. So, he did not intend to let her help in the slightest?

"Am I to stay there waiting for news of your death?" she retorted. "Do you honestly think you can defeat Karatake without the Mitsuseki?"

"I believe I can," came Sesshoumaru's quick answer. His exterior was confident, but deep inside he had doubts. He did not know his uncle. Sesshoumaru caught a glimpse of Karatake's powers in Mizutori's visions of the past, and that alone was insufficient. But he felt that it was a necessary gamble.

The Marsh of the Moon, his mother's birthplace, was lost. Even if fate had been kind and granted them to find it, only Hanazuki's descendants - he - shall be able to enter it. But they didn't know of the extent of the trouble until it was too late. Invasion had begun; as the Lord of the West, Sesshoumaru had to put those matters behind and deal with the greater menace first.

Kikyou's hand reached out and cupped his cheek. His amber eyes focused on her, and his hand strayed to her growing belly. His fingertips detected slight movement within, and he couldn't help but think how heavy a burden it must be to his beloved wife. It was his child that she now carries at a time of war. Yes, Sesshoumaru trusted Kikyou, but he loved her to the extent that he wouldn't allow her or the life in her womb to be harmed.

Even if they had to part for the time being.

Even if he had to die.

"I have the Tenseiga," he whispered to her. "It will protect me. You have no such protection."

"I was a miko once..." she contradicted.

"A miko may indeed be worth a hundred soldiers when dealing with youkai," Sesshoumaru replied, "but a Priestess with child is a different matter altogether."

Kikyou let her hand fall. She turned her back on him and bowed her head. A cold whistle of wind entered the room and took out the light of the lamps with its cold fingers, leaving them in the cold darkness.

"I requested you to trust me completely, Kikyou," Sesshoumaru said softly, his acute sight never leaving her form which stood out in the blackness. "Trust me, and everything will be fine for you."

But Kikyou was silent.

Sighing to himself, Sesshoumaru stepped closer to her and embraced her around her shoulders. She did not struggle, but she did not respond either.

"Don't think I am keeping you from helping me," he whispered in her ear, trying to reason with her. "You care for me as I care for you."

"_I know," _Kikyou muttered in the same whispery tone. "I have been thinking a great deal, Sesshoumaru. Okaa-sama mentioned something to me when I met her in the forest...something about our union having to fulfill a hidden vow. Although I cannot quite comprehend what she was trying to say, a part of me would like to interpret it as her wish that we remain together. But life is never fair, is it?" She sighed, and he felt her hand reaching out to grasp his. "I know you have to go, Sesshoumaru. I know we may never see each other again."

Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to assure her that such thing would never happen, but she spoke once more, "And if this would be the last night we would be together, I wouldn't want it to be filled with arguments and misunderstanding. Go then, darling. But know that you shall always have my love."

"Kikyou..."

He rubbed his face against her silken hair, as though be doing so he would make his distress waft away. Kikyou then turned to face him. A burst of lightning gave them a brief glance of one another's faces, and as the thunder roared its reply, she arched her neck upwards and kissed his pursed lips. Sesshoumaru pulled her closer to him and kissed her back violently, his tongue savoring the sweet taste of her mouth. He hungrily sucked her moist lips, and she responded in kind, as though trying to make his taste linger in her mouth for eternity.

Another flash of lightning, and they broke their lip-lock, stopping as abruptly as they had started. Their gasps were barely audible in the sound of the downpour.

"We need to rest," Kikyou whispered, and Sesshoumaru nodded in understanding. She didn't notice that she had been clasping the battered knife in one of her hands until now. Carefully slipping it back in its leather sheath and wrapping the black silk around it, she tried to give it back to her husband. But he closed her hands over it, refusing to accept it.

"Take it with you," Sesshoumaru said silently. "It is one of the few remaining relics of my mother, and there's a great possibility that it may help you against her brother's minions, should they find you."

Kikyou was aware of the conviction he had for her by entrusting the knife to her. Like he said, it was one of the few reminders of the departed Lady Suien. In giving her such an intimate item, it was like giving away a part of himself. Kikyou placed the blade inside the pocket of her sleeve alongside Kikumo's hair stick.

Just then, a sudden thought struck her.

"What exactly is the role of the _shard of the moon_ in the summoning of the Mitsuseki?" Kikyou wondered, more to herself than anything.

"That, I cannot answer," Sesshoumaru said, hearing her speak. "But the mere fact that it is mentioned in the Rhyme can prove that it has a vital part in hahagimi's life."

...o0o...

They walked back to their sleeping chamber braving the strong gusts of wind and bouts of rain that assaulted the open, only to find out that Rin was awake, her eyes wide and frightened.

"The wind and rain scare me, Kikyou-sama!" she said, quickly rushing to her foster mother when she saw her enter the room. "I thought the roof was going to be blown away!" Kikyou hugged her immediately, whispering in a soothing voice that the fortress was strong, and that they were safe from the storm. But it did not lessen Rin's apprehension.

"Let her sleep with us, Kikyou," Sesshoumaru told her. Kikyou was momentarily surprised at that unusual show of affection, but she nodded to him, smiling gratefully. It seemed to her that he realized that it might be long before he would see the little girl again, and had taken the time to be with the two females he cared for most.

Sesshoumaru smiled back, and soon they all lay curled up in the futon he usually shared with Kikyou, Rin snug and warm between her foster parents. Kikyou's arms wrapped themselves protectively around the little girl, and Sesshoumaru hugged them both close. His fluffy pelt blanketed them cozily, and he found it easy to drift off to a deep slumber.

Sleep was rather impossible to Kikyou, however. She lay awake for a long time, pondering on the events. Rin turned over in her sleep, but she was otherwise in peace, unlike the older woman. How Kikyou wished she could temporarily banish those miserable forebodings, but she knew that she could not. Finally, she wrapped her mate's cream-colored fur closer to her. Smelling his scent clinging to the pelt, she closed her eyes and let the sounds of the elements lull her to sleep.

...o0o...

They were roused very early in the morning by Sesshoumaru. Rin groggily awoke, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. Kikyou opened her eyes slightly, but her body felt lethargic. She struggled to get up, and in turn felt as though her surroundings were swimming. Almost at once, she could feel whatever she had eaten the previous night forcing its way up her throat. Ah, nausea indeed...

Hastily pulling herself up from the futon, Kikyou half-crawled to the open verandah outside and expelled the vomit on the ground below, clutching on to the low wooden railings for dear life. Sesshoumaru was beside her at once, gently pulling her long raven locks away from her face as she retched. Rin went off to fetch a damp clean cloth, which she used to tenderly wipe Kikyou's exhausted face.

"Thank you," Kikyou said with relief, smiling at her husband and the little girl as she got up unsteadily with Sesshoumaru's help.

"Do you feel better?" he asked with concern, gently rubbing his mate's back with one hand.

"Much better now that the nausea had passed," she replied, her vision slowly clearing and focusing on the cloudy skies. Kikyou's morning sickness was something they had gotten used to in the course of four months.

Sesshoumaru observed her features for a while, and he can see that she was indeed better. Her face, previously flushed, was beginning to regain its lost healthy tint. He spared a glance at the graying skies. There was no rain; the worst of the storm having died out the night before, it left in its wake the still howling winds. Even without the rain, the screeching currents whipping violently at the branches of the trees were extremely forbidding, and thick clouds with yet more rain diffused the sunlight.

But he would see his plan through.

"Get yourselves ready, Kikyou," he told her, sparing her shoulder an affectionate squeeze before walking away to find his toady retainer. "Isamu will be here shortly."

Kikyou nodded, understanding perfectly what he meant. But Rin didn't even know that war was upon them; she wasn't aware that she and Kikyou were going into hiding.

"Who will be here, Kikyou-sama?" she innocently asked of the former priestess.

Kikyou patted the hair of the little girl whilst saying, "Do you remember Kikumo, Rin-chan?" Although she would very much like to tell Rin directly where they were going, or even the reason why they should, she knew that she must not. The child might become frightened.

Rin tilted her head to the side as she thought. Finally, she looked up with her childlike chocolate brown eyes, saying triumphantly, "She is the beautiful Princess! The one with the green eyes and deer ears, right?" Though Rin didn't have concrete knowledge of the important role Kikumo played in the vanquishing of Naraku, what she had heard from Kikyou and Sesshoumaru plus her own experience in Kikumo's clutches gave her some concrete knowledge on the Deer demoness.

"Indeed," Kikyou said, smiling. "Someone from her people will come and fetch us today. We are going to visit her place."

"Really, Kikyou-sama?" Rin replied excitedly. Visiting new places always filled her with enthusiasm. "Do you think we will see her there?"

Kikyou's smile flickered slightly. "You know very well that she had gone to the Other Side, Rin-chan."

"Oh," Rin said softly, nodding slowly to tell the older woman that she understood. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Is Sesshoumaru-sama coming with us as well?"

Kikyou had hoped Rin wouldn't ask that question. It pained her to give the answer.

"He will accompany us on the way," Kikyou replied, choosing her words carefully to mask the grave purpose of his leaving. "But he is to go somewhere else afterwards. We will stay with the Deer demons."

Rin frowned slightly. She was smart enough to detect that there was something suspicious hanging in the former miko's words. Kikyou was afraid that the little girl will ask further questions on Sesshoumaru's plans, but thankfully Rin nodded in utter acceptance, saying "Okay."

Kikyou gave a small sigh of relief and hugged the little girl. She caught sight of her silver-haired mate conferring with Jaken near the room where they spoke with Isamu the previous night. In a few hours, they would be parted, and that filled her heart with dread. Kikyou will not be able to sleep in peace knowing that the one she loved was in the battlefield, but for Rin's sake she locked these glum thoughts inside her and put on a smiling mask to hide her sorrow.

Sesshoumaru appeared to have finished giving the stubby toad servant his orders, for Jaken bowed low and the taiyoukai went back to his mate and adopted daughter, a meaningful look in his eyes.

"I am surprised you didn't intend to make Jaken stay with us," Kikyou said, a mischievous smirk on her lips.

"I know you would hate me if I did," Sesshoumaru replied, the same playful smile playing on his face. He cupped her cheek slightly and kissed her on the lips. "I couldn't leave my koi upset with me, could I?"

...o0o...

Kikyou had gathered all the weapons of her miko days by the time Isamu arrived. Aside from changing into the full scarlet and white garb of a miko, she prepared her bow and made sure that her quiver had the right amount of arrows. Lady Hanazuki's knife and Kikumo's hair stick, the most precious relics in her possession, were hidden in the sleeve of her blouse. Then, on second thought, she folded her favorite robe, the one with the bellflower pattern that her husband had given her and wrapped it around her arrows, careful to leave the points and the feathers free. This bundle, she inserted inside her quiver. No one who didn't know of her relationship with the Lord of the West could have guessed that she was his mate.

When Sesshoumaru saw her, he remarked, "It seems you have become a Priestess once again."

Kikyou had replied, "A miko with child, indeed."

The coming of the Lord of the Deer Demons was as silent as the appearance of fog. It was only through his demon aura that Kikyou and Sesshoumaru knew of his presence, and they looked just in time at the forest to see a large stag emerging from the shadows.

The stag was larger even than Ah-Un. In contrast to Kikumo's deer form that had light fawn fur and dark snakelike lines on the limbs, Isamu's overall color was dark. In fact, the only bright color they can see in his outward appearance were graceful golden brown lines snaking about his limbs, which were the same color as the hair on his head when he assumed a human form.

His antlers were a new sight to Kikyou, as Kikumo did not possess those magnificent weapons herself. Dark as ebony, its abrupt bends and twists gleamed in the weak light and its pointed ends looked newly sharpened. He looked like a taiyoukai indeed, just as his predecessor Hisano was when he marched alongside Inu no Taishou in alliance.

"Good morning, my Lord and Lady," Isamu said in greeting, bowing slightly. In truth, he did not exactly _say_ it. His coal-black eyes simply raised themselves to meet their gaze and the words were formed in their minds. It was as though his dark oculars spoke for him. "I trust that you are ready."

The only answer that Sesshoumaru gave him was a curt nod, but it was the only thing Isamu needed. He bent his front limbs to the ground and twisted his neck gracefully in a gesture that they should get on his back.

Kikyou was rather taken aback by this humble gesture; Isamu was a Demon Lord, no less regal than her own mate. He should not lower himself for the sake of two mortal humans who are to take shelter under his wing, should he? But Sesshoumaru gently pushed her towards the form of the Deer youkai and reluctantly, she got on to the strong back. Rin, following faithfully, seated herself in front of Kikyou.

The little girl was afraid that she would hurt the beautiful deer if she stepped too hard on him, but to her surprise she heard Isamu's kind voice saying, "No, my child, you won't hurt me with your sandals. But I thank you for worrying." Rin blinked once then she nodded with a meek smile whilst making herself more comfortable on her place.

Sesshoumaru sat behind his mate and wrapped his arms protectively around Kikyou. When Jaken, the last of them, got on to his rear, Isamu took off and they began their journey to his home beyond the ranges of the West.

...o0o...

Normally, it would only have taken Isamu less than an hour to go back to the Borderlands from the fortress of the inuyoukai. But with his important passengers slowing him down, combined the trickiness of the land and weather due to the passing rains, not to mention possible encounters with the invaders of the West...it might take an hour, maybe more, before they can even reach the outskirts of the Realm of the Shikayoukai.

As they passed the damp forests, they can see how much the land had changed in the onset of the rainy season. The soil was damp beneath the deer youkai's hooves, and water constantly fell upon their heads as the trees let go of the liquid that had accumulated on their leaves. The forest was a tangle of vines and creepers that took advantage of the extra water to flourish in abundance, but Isamu skillfully bypassed the wild jungles without landing a scratch on any of them.

"Is it your first time to see the Land of the Deer?" Isamu asked of his charges, seeking to enliven the gloomy atmosphere somehow.

"Yes, Mister Deer," Rin was the first to answer, calling Isamu as such because she knew not his name. "Will there be many more like you when we get there?"

Kikyou tried to explain to Rin who Isamu was so she can address him with more respect, but the Lord of the Deer Demons did not mind in the slightest to be addressed as such by the little girl. He was a gentle man, and like his wife he was fond of children. The birth of his first child the night before had filled him with great joy, and he considered that event as the happiest since he mated with the Queen of the Shikayoukai.

"The Deer youkai are numerous," Isamu explained to the little girl while he lithely cut through the foliage of the ranges. "But we tend to hide ourselves deep in the forest, so rarely do other being set their eyes on us. What is your name, little girl?"

"My name is Rin," she said immediately. "How are you called, sir?"

"I am Isamu," the regal deer replied in that telepathic way of his. "My Queen shall be pleased with you, Rin. She has a fondness for little children like you."

Now that Isamu made mention of his mate, Kikyou recalled that he had told them the night before of his wife's labor.

"Is she all right?" Kikyou asked, a concerned edge in her voice. Being with child, her heart reached out to the Demon Lady she never even met.

"Rest assured, Kikyou-sama," Isamu replied. "She survived the ordeal, and we now have a little daughter." In his mind flashed the image of a young demoness in her many-layered robes carrying a cooing bundle, and he unconsciously smiled.

Kikyou leaned against the silent form of her mate, and Sesshoumaru tightened his embrace around her whilst caressing the still small lump on her abdomen. He discerned a small amount of movement beneath his hands, and he quietly planted a kiss on his wife's fragrant hair. How they envied Isamu! He can now carry his child in his arms whilst they still have to wait for many months before they can set their eyes on their firstborn.

"You didn't have to carry us to your land," Kikyou whispered. "You could have spent the time with your child."

"Ah, my Lady," Isamu answered. "Sesshoumaru-sama wants you and Rin to be safe, and I know the best way on how I can get you to the safety of my people in stealth. Besides, we don't have much time. We have had constant encounters with the invading forces, and we have to get you there in the fastest way we can."

Water splashed beneath them as Isamu lightly splashed through a swiftly running brook, and they spoke no more as they journeyed past the thickly forested mountains and to the misty hills beyond.

...o0o...

Upon beholding the Realm of the Shikayoukai, Kikyou, Rin and Jaken even, were caught up by the spectacular sight that they no longer minded the long time they had sat on Isamu's back. In contrast to the gently rolling mountain ranges that formed a natural barrier between the true West and the Borderlands, the land of the Deer Demons was a wide stretch of misty hills that came into constant dips and rises.

The hills, which were in fact cave-ridded riddled limestone formations, rose fingerlike above the ground, their tops barely visible in the steady mist blanketing them. Echoes of birdcalls were heard regularly, bouncing off the unmoving rock walls forming a resonance of mystifying beauty.

Isamu had taken the time to stop beside a safe cliff for them to see the sweeping land spread before them in its full splendor. From their elevated point, they saw the hazy outline of a great river, at least as wide as ten full-grown pines laid down from end to end, snaking among the hills and watering the land. In the distance, they heard the roar of waterfalls.

There was not an inch of soil or rock visible that wasn't covered with a swath of green, and the moist air carried their infinite smells. In the onset of the rains, mist was omnipresent throughout the hills, filling the blank spaces between the rocks with a blue-white halo. It was as though they had come directly under heaven, and Kikyou can find no better land that could perfectly bring out the elusive nature of the Deer Demons who inhabited its forests.

After allowing them a few minutes to take in the beauty of the land, Isamu turned and continued to descend the mountain. In a few minutes, they had reached the foot of the ranges and were fully out of the West. Rin looked behind her with longing, knowing that home was behind the tall stretches of mountain, but she determinedly returned her gaze on the new land before them.

Sesshoumaru's gaze was indifferent even if his other companions were strongly impressed by the Realm of the Deer Demons. He had visited this place many times in his childhood, and it brought back to him bittersweet memories which he would rather not tell Kikyou. He knew doubt and sadness that would overcome her if he mentioned Kikumo in the setting of their childhood.

Isamu then began to follow the path of the river, though not directly beside it. They understood why. The rain had swollen the river, and the rapids were strong enough to tear a tree from its roots. The debris being carried downstream in the white current assured them that.

"We call this river the _Minorikawa, _Harvest River," Isamu explained. "It branches into two further upstream into the Greater Minorikawa and Lesser Minorikawa. The source of the Greater Minorikawa is a waterfall we have named _Shiroitaki_, White Waterfall, which descends from the highest hill in the region. On this hill is the fortress of the Royal Family of the Shikayoukai, to which we are now headed."

True enough, as they followed the course of the river upstream, the river split into two forks. Isamu followed the path of the larger fork, and in a short distance they heard the great roar of a waterfall. The Shiroitaki thundered ahead of as great gallons of water fell down from the tall peak into white foam beneath. Kikyou took the time to observe the stern facade of the hill.

Now that she saw it up close, she began to understand that the White Waterfall came from the peak of the hill, but it appears to channel within the rock at some point and come out of another fissure. Though the west, east and south sides of the hill were covered with uneven surfaces fit for climbing, the north side on which the Shiroitaki descended was smooth, moss-covered rock, virtually impossible to scale.

But she can see that two-thirds up the hill, the rock formed a great ledge on which the Shiroitaki tunneled within, only to come out later beneath the said ledge. Later, she was too see that it was on this ledge where the fortress sat, where many eons of Shikayoukai leaders took abode even before they became allies with the inuyoukai.

Hidden within natural barriers and fortifications, the Fortress of the Shikayoukai seemed impenetrable indeed...a feature which would soon be put to the test.

...o0o...

Safe on Isamu's back, they were able to scale the side of the hill facing the west, which was by far the most accessible of the possible pathways up the hill. As they went further up, the vegetation began to consist mostly of pines twisted in every shape imaginable as they struggled to cling to the rock face. The mist thickened, and soon it gave an impression that they were no longer on the ground, but rather, among the clouds. Finally, two-thirds up, Isamu took a path which led to the flat outcrop Kikyou had observed earlier.

Though it was only an outcrop, it was certainly more than wide enough to house the fortress, even allowing for a well-kept garden which spread at the feet of the castle. They all looked up at the stronghold, and it was unlike anything the humans had ever seen. Built beside the Shiroitaki which had formed a pool of water as it tunneled into the rock, the fortress was constructed leaning against the natural rock wall in five stories, the higher one slightly smaller than the one beneath it, giving an impression of terraces.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the fortress. Though the place had hardly changed since the last time he visited it, he did not take the time to observe it closely before. A moat was built around the castle on three sides. There was no need for a fourth side as the fortress was built against a flat stretch of rock which was free of any protrusions for a good many meters above. Inside this moat was an artificial pool of water collected to surround the fortress. The only way to get inside the castle was via a drawbridge which can be easily pulled up at the order of the Royal family.

'The enemy would have to drain the pool so they can besiege the fortress...that is, if they could not fly or swim,' he thought to himself, but he said nothing.

Isamu met no resistance as he crossed the drawbridge. By now, Kikyou was wondering why they hadn't encountered any other youkai in their journey. The silence was utterly unnerving to her. But now, entering the fortress, she beheld a waiting figure in its gates. It was a deer demoness.

"That's my wife's lady-in-waiting, Asagao," Isamu whispered to them. "She is the only other person our Queen would allow to take abode with us in the palace."

Asagao bowed low before the lord of her clan as he let his charges dismount. Once they were all on firm ground, Isamu resumed his human form.

"This is the Lady Kikyou and her companion, Rin," he said to the quiet Asagao, motioning his hand to Kikyou and Rin in a formal gesture of introduction. "Kikyou-sama, Rin, this is Asagao." He looked around, searching for someone. "Where is my wife?"

"She is resting, milord," Asagao replied softly. "She was pretty exhausted last night, and she bid me to receive the Lady Kikyou in her stead."

"Very well," Isamu said. "Make sure they enjoy their stay here. And on second thought, pull back the bridge until we return."

After Asagao bowed her assurance, Isamu then turned to Sesshoumaru.

"The army is assembled and waiting in the outskirts not far from here, Sesshoumaru-sama," he said. "Shall we depart now?"

Sesshoumaru nodded gravely, sparing one last glance at his beloved wife and his adopted child. Kikyou can hardly keep from crying, but for his sake she put on a smiling face as she kissed him one last time. Rin went up to the silver-haired taiyoukai and hugged him. Sesshoumaru was temporarily taken aback, but he patted the girl's raven hair and sent her back to Kikyou.

"Don't try to go somewhere else, Kikyou," Sesshoumaru warned her, and she nodded reluctantly. "I will come back for you, okay?"

"I know you will," Kikyou whispered, and she stepped away from him.

With that, Sesshoumaru turned on his heels. Jaken barely had the time to cling to the end of the fur he slung around his right shoulder before the amber-eyed demon departed with Isamu, their forms blurring as they passed the old-growth trees. Soon, mist rolled over the path they had taken and Kikyou can see no more of him.

...o0o...

Okay, we finally got to enter the Borderlands! Anyway, if you sorta cannot visualize how it's supposed to look like, you can visit my website, Satsukibare (link is in my profile) and visit the 'Visions of the West' in the 'Misc.' section. There I have a drawing of the Borderlands, specifically the hill of the Shiroitaki. Anyway, that's all for now. See you next chapter! ;p

**Lady Fabmel:** The rhyme was my making, but it was inspired by another poem, 'Out of Darkness' by Izumi Shikibu, a Japanese court poet of the Heian times. It goes like this:

_Out of darkness,  
Yet shall I follow a path of greater darkness,  
From the mountain crest, far-off moon,  
Give me light._

**Sweet Ruby Moon:** Yay, thanks for leaving the 100th review! I am so happy I reached this far! And, yeah, poor Kiky. But not all places are safe, really... (hint, hint)

**Azn kawaii kikyo the devil:** Thanks for the review! It helped me get out of my (impending) writer's block!

**Cold Kikyo:** Thank you, thank you! ;P

**Celestial Inferno Rose:** Hehe, I am oh so sorry if it takes a bajillion years for me to update, but I am trying my best to write as fast as I can without spoiling the story. ;P

**Lily in the Lonely Night:** YEAH, SESSHKIK ROCKS! (Puts SesshKik flags all over the place)

**purple and pink dreams:** Oh my friend, I miss you so! Thanks for reviewing! I really hope the new schoolyear will bring new opportunities for both of us!

**The East Wind Melts the Ice:** That rhyme underwent several revisions. I was dissatisfied with the first and second versions I made. Thank goodness the final version was better!

**Gossamer Wind:** Nunu, she isn't Kikumo, I swear!


	14. Chapter 13: Chrysanthemum Remembered

**XIII: The Chrysanthemum Remembered**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **Oh dear, my muses were practically dying the past days. I can hardly write anything because I found out I was diagnosed with...something. Never mind. It can be cured anyway (whew, but the medication will last for about six months O.O). I mustn't let illness halt my fanfic writing, ne?

...o0o...

Kikyou felt as though her heart was breaking. Long she stood there as though her voice had died in her throat, hoping to catch a final glimpse of him. But Sesshoumaru had gone, and she was never sure if she will see him again.

"Come," came a cold voice, laced with unmasked contempt. Kikyou looked up, and it turns out the speaker was that demoness Asagao, who was the lady-in-waiting of Isamu's mate. "I will take you to the Lady."

Flinching slightly at the unfriendly tone, Kikyou motioned Rin to stick to her side. The little girl obediently followed the former priestess, clutching on to her hand as a daughter would. Once they were fully inside the fortress, Asagao ordered them to halt momentarily so she can pull back the bridge to the castle as Isamu had ordered her to do.

Kikyou thoughtfully observed the female deer youkai as she pulled at a certain lever beside the gate. With that gesture, the chains which served as the bridge's support creaked as they were rolled back. Soon, the gate was closed and there was no way out of the courtyard. Unlike the gardens outside, which were more or less allowed to grow in the natural wilderness, the plants of the courtyard were carefully molded into perfect symmetry and there wasn't a stem or a leaf that was touched by wilt. Even the moss which grew at the roots was free of any dirt or debris that could mar its pristine beauty.

Once she was sure that the bridge was secure, Asagao continued to walk within the palace itself, not even bothering to look back to see if the two humans were following her.

As they walked through the many corridors, an instinctive dislike began to well up in Kikyou for the snobbish lady-in-waiting. She made it clear that she thought of her and Rin as a pain in the neck, and Kikyou hoped that the Queen was a better company than this annoying demoness.

"How much longer are we going to walk, Kikyou-sama?" Rin queried of Kikyou. The young girl was also rather wary of Asagao, and had chosen to ask Kikyou herself instead of their guide. The demoness had on a severe look, as though she would devour them if she had the chance.

"The Lady's quarters are at the fifth level, the crown of the fortress," Asagao said quickly, not even bothering to hide her distaste. "We are only in the second level, and you're tired already?"

"How can you not be tired if you were riding since morning?" Kikyou found herself retorting.

"Humans," Asagao spat. "I really wonder how the Lord Sesshoumaru - or even his father, for that matter - can stand to be among you."

Kikyou's hand automatically formed a fist, but her face was as neutral as ever. How dare this she-youkai... How can she survive the war in one piece if she were to spend her time in hiding with this insolent fool?

"How long were you in service to the Lady?" Kikyou asked in spite of her dislike, in a half-hearted attempt to somehow make Asagao warm up to them.

"I have been with the Royal family since the time of Lord Hisano and Lady Azami," Asagao replied coldly, but there was pride clear in her tone. "You must know something about the Lady Kikumo, their daughter, and I was in her service."

After these words, Asagao was silent. Kikyou didn't bother to try to converse with her any longer. She instead took the time to observe the intricate artistry decorating the passageways of the fortress. By now, she was beginning to see that the fortress itself was an open book of the history of the shikayoukai. Because their guide refused to give them any information about the stories of the fortress, Kikyou had to make a personal interpretation of them.

The corridors of the first level spoke of the formation of the land. According to the Deer Demons, the land of their abode was once within the realm of the sea. Paintings of the sea, calm and in turmoil, in clear sky and in rain, dominated the first few passageways. But later, by some reason she couldn't interpret, the sea receded, leaving behind the tall cliffs and hills of the Borderlands.

The rest of the first level discussed the evolution of the land in intricate detail, of the changes small and great that had come upon them. Kikyou could not help but admire the shikayoukai's reverence of the land they dwelt upon, a reverence which extended to a careful study of the earth.

The deer demons themselves began to emerge at the second level, and the many scrolls that hung upon the walls told their story of the ancestors of the present shikayoukai arriving in the land. There were pictures that spoke of battles, which Kikyou thought of as territorial, and there was a good number of them before the scene changed. It appeared that the deer youkai fought other demons to claim their land, and once their victory was secure they began to establish their control.

The third level discussed the birth of the Royal family of the Deer Demons. If Kikyou interpreted the story behind the art the correct way, the steady increase of the Deer youkai prompted much infighting between rival families, and there was much turmoil within their clan. Finally, order was attained when a prominent deer youkai, Kikyou was unsure who, settled the unrest by vanquishing or banishing the rivals out of the land and establishing a monarchy.

On closer look, Kikyou was startled to see that this anonymous unifier was female. There was no doubt in the deer form that it bore no antlers, and in human form the obvious feminine curves and lovely long hair. The rest of the histories discussed the descendants of this demoness, who then was widely recognized as the first Queen of the Shikayoukai.

But when they reached the fourth level, Kikyou felt as though her heart missed several beats. The first picture that greeted them was painted directly on to a large wooden panel. It depicted a large inuyoukai in its true form. The dog demon was howling up at a crescent moon, and there was no mistake about the prominent plumes of fur flowing from its shoulders. It was the Inu no Taishou, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha's father.

Asagao appeared to read Kikyou's reaction, and for the first time, she explained the background of the painted history.

"The fourth level commemorates the alliance of Inuyoukai and Shikayoukai, under the Inu no Taishou and the Lord Hisano," she said, looking at another panel. It had a large deer painted on it, looking proud and majestic with the hill of the Shiroitaki in the backdrop. Kikyou was positive that it was Kikumo's father in his true form.

As they walked the corridors, the history of the War of the Western Lands began to unfold. The members of the Cat clan, enemies of the Inutaishou, were depicted invading the West, and at the same time endangering the Borderlands. It spoke of the Lord of the Shikayoukai at that time seeking out the Inu Taiyoukai, and a pact was made. The final passageways were adorned with the scenes of war, and finally victory. But the last painting probably struck Kikyou the most...so much that she stopped in her tracks.

The beautiful mural depicted a beautiful garden with trees growing in perfect symmetry. At the heart of the garden were the Inu no Taishou and Hisano exchanging final words of thanks. Beside their respective fathers were Sesshoumaru and Kikumo, who looked incredibly beautiful in layered robes and her long hair spilling freely down her back. Kikyou raised her hand and with trembling fingers touched the painted figure of the Demon Princess, the shadow of her hand falling over the slightly smiling face.

Asagao's face became dark. Her features knotted into an expression of pure hatred.

"Your husband was a fool," she said to Kikyou, her true abhorrence unleashed. Kikyou shifted her line of vision at once to the demoness, and she was taken aback at the hateful words and fearful expression.

"Sesshoumaru was a fool," Asagao repeated, walking in deliberate steps towards Kikyou. Rin gasped and sought refuge behind her foster mother, who looked back unflinchingly at the she-youkai. Soon, Kikyou stood face-to-face with Asagao, who had neared her face so close to hers that the former priestess can feel her angry breath. "That scene never happened in real life, Kikyou; it is merely symbolic. But who is to deny that the Kikumo-hime was a wonderful person?

I was her friend, and I know of her feelings for your mate...the same feelings that inspired her to help him in her father's stead. And what had he done to repay her? Abandoned... rejected... for a low-class human Priestess that is you!"

Asagao broke off, but the ferocity in her eyes was still present. Rin was crying softly, but Kikyou looked back coldly at the demoness without a trace of fright.

"Asagao, I am displeased at the way you treat our guests," a soft but commanding female voice floated into the corridor, making them all look in its direction. Rin immediately stopped crying upon seeing the kind-looking, sympathetic emerald orbs looking her way. It must be the Queen, Isamu's wife.

Kikyou found herself looking back at the painting of Kikumo then at the regal woman standing at the end of the corridor with a sleeping baby wrapped up in her arms. The Demon Lady's hair was a wavy auburn, and her face was slightly rounder than Kikumo's. But those emerald pools...they had the same eyes.

"Lady Umegae," Asagao muttered, stepping aside and bowing deeply to the other youkai.

Umegae glanced at her lady-in-waiting with a disappointed expression, but she smiled congenially at Kikyou and Rin whilst bowing her head slightly in their direction.

"I apologize for my lady-in-waiting's behavior," she said, "I never wanted you to be treated that way. Asagao, you can leave us for now. I shall call on you when I need you." Asagao mumbled a slightly incoherent reply, but she bowed once more to acknowledge the order and turned to walk away.

Once Asagao was out of sight, Umegae sighed sadly but her eyes were bright and friendly when she beheld her human guests.

"Let's not stay here, Lady Kikyou," she said, smiling. "Come with me; your weariness will be eased soon."

...o0o...

"Asagao birthed me and my sister," the young Queen explained. By now they were in the topmost level of the fortress. This floor, they learned, was ever-changing unlike the previous ones. It had undergone many changes depending on the taste of the Royal family's generation. At present, the level was like a gallery of medicinal plants, both painted and real with descriptions on their virtues written in ink and paper beside them.

The royal quarters themselves were spacious and elegant, adorned with many fresh flowers and other live plants that gave the room a lovely fragrance. A balcony offered a breathtaking view of the Borderlands, and for the time being they sat there and enjoyed the cool day. "She's not normally that way. I honestly don't see why she chose to spite you so."

"Let the matter rest, Lady Umegae," Kikyou said, rather embarrassed. Umegae was probably going through so much trouble on her behalf. "I know the memory of the Princess Kikumo will forever haunt your people..."

At the mention of Kikumo, a mysterious smile appeared on Umegae's face.

"She's my older sister," Umegae said softly.

Kikyou's eyes flitted to the demon lady's face, trying to find a comparison, but she was careful not to stare too much to the point of being rude. No wonder she thought those deep green eyes looked so familiar...

"I am sorry for..." Kikyou whispered.

"Oh Lady Kikyou, whatever are you asking forgiveness for?" Umegae said, breaking her off, a curious look in her emerald eyes. "You have done no wrong to Oneesama. She is no longer in these lands...I doubt you have even met her."

Kikyou then realized that the tidings of her sister's death had not yet reached the Shikayoukai Queen's ears, and it grieved her that she had to be the one to do so...for she had been with Kikumo in her final moments.

"You must have heard about the Shikon no Tama..." Kikyou said.

"Indeed I have," Umegae replied. "It caused quite a stir among us, but its popularity in the West is but brief." After a while of silence, she looked at Kikyou knowingly. "You must be the Priestess..."

"Indeed I was," Kikyou answered. She proceeded to tell the story of Naraku and his treacheries, how he managed to kill her...of the breaking of the Shikon jewel and the gathering of its shards...how she was resurrected thanks to sorcery...how she crossed paths with Sesshoumaru and Kikumo.

"Sesshoumaru and I came across her outside the West," she explained, choosing her words carefully. "She helped us vanquish our common enemy, but she died doing so..."

This latest news had a great effect on Umegae. A depressed expression spread over her face, and she looked inside the room where Rin was playing with her little daughter. Full youkai children, as Kikyou and Rin were to learn, had a faster rate of development than human babies. For a baby born the night before, little Yanagi, as Umegae and Isamu had named her, was already very active. Though she couldn't crawl or sit up yet, her eyes (which were as green as Kikumo's and Umegae's) were fully open and her small arms energetically reached out to Rin when she tickled her.

"Kikumo-oneesama was like a mother to me," Umegae said softly, returning her gaze back to Kikyou. She ran her long-fingered hands over the fabric of her robes. She wore layered robes much like what human princesses of those days wore, complete with a shawl of a rich shell-and-wave brocade pattern. But Kikyou was to learn later that Umegae preferred simpler kimonos with only a few layers to those elaborate robes.

Kikyou was surprised at this. She recalled Mizutori's vision, and if her memory had not failed her, Hisano's wife and the mother of his two daughters, Azami, was still alive even after the Lady Hanazuki died.

"My sister was far older than I," Umegae continued. "She was already in her late adolescent years by the time I was born, which was a couple of years before the War of Revenge against the Cat Clan, that which your Lord Sesshoumaru won. Our father, for some reason, fell into some kind of sickness. It is rare for youkai to succumb to disease, and not even our extensive knowledge of herbs can cure him. He died, but not without cutting off his antlers at deathbed and having the Hiroko Kama made out of them."

The Hiroko Kama was Kikumo's main weapon. It had the ability to transform into a koto and back to its live blade naginata form upon her command. It was with its amazing and mysterious powers that she managed to restore Sesshoumaru's missing left limb.

"The Hiroko Kama was probably the most marvelous weapon of our craft," her voice wafted over Kikyou's musings, "that which has been lost to us since my sister left. It was made for Oneesama specifically. Father clearly knew of her skill with the naginata and the koto."

"Do you share her interest in those fields?" Kikyou asked her.

Umegae let out a pleasant laugh. "Ah, Lady Kikyou, we differ in that aspect. I have a kind of fear for the blade, and my fingers were not quite able to take the strain of koto strings. I prefer the samisen, in fact. But back to the story, my mother was devastated with his death. She was pregnant with me when Father died, and I heard she never got over the depression. She died in childbirth, leaving Oneesama to care for me alone."

A thoughtful silence followed. The baby in her womb began to kick from within, and Kikyou gently patted her belly slightly. That must be hard for Umegae...growing up without her parents...

"Oh, you are to have a child!" Umegae said brightly, observing Kikyou's actions. Kikyou looked surprised but she nodded. She hadn't come across a person aside from Hanazuki who was able to notice her pregnancy at first glance. Umegae happened to read her thoughts, for she said, "I am skilled as a healer, and even before I had Yanagi I seldom made a mistake in spotting a pregnancy." She chuckled. "But to experience it is some other matter, right?"

"How right you are!" Kikyou found herself finding someone she can relate with in her condition. "But it is joyful at the same time...somehow."

Umegae nodded in agreement, once more looking at her baby. Rin was gently patting the soft fawn strands of Yanagi's hair, and the baby's deer ears twitched as she cooed her pleasure.

"Kikumo-oneesama was very kind to me," she said, sighing. "She should have been our Queen, but she postponed her taking of the throne as long as she can, so she can be a good sister, mother and father to me. But there came the war renewed..."

"And she marched alongside Sesshoumaru in battle," Kikyou muttered with understanding.

"Yes. And after that, things changed. She left the West without even telling me a word about her whereabouts. Not that I will understand them, anyway...I was still a child then."

"You must have heard Asagao earlier..." Kikyou said, uncertain on how to phrase her thoughts.

Umegae looked at Kikyou with an unreadable expression in her emerald eyes. "I must admit, Lady Kikyou, that what I heard did not fail to baffle me. I never knew my sister loved Sesshoumaru-sama."

"It's a complicated story," Kikyou answered. "But the reason why Kikumo left the West was because Sesshoumaru broke her heart. Later, it turned out that he did love her back...but our enemy manipulated them to hate each other. My heart turned to Sesshoumaru at that time, and his to mine. Oh please, Lady Umegae, I didn't mean to steal her happiness..."

"Lady Kikyou, don't blame yourself for my sister's demise," Umegae said in such a comforting and understanding tone that undid Kikyou completely. "Although there is so much that I don't understand, the mere fact that Oneesama allowed you two to be together already spoke much. If there is indeed such a thing as destiny, it just so happens that Kikumo-oneesama was never really Sesshoumaru-sama's destiny."

"I wish it was as simple as that," Kikyou whispered dejectedly.

"Someday, I would like to hear the story in full," Umegae said, aware that her companion was extremely upset at the thought that she stood between the son of the inuyoukai and the daughter of the shikayoukai. "But now is not that time. We left off at the time after Kikumo-oneesama left these lands. Our clan was left without a true ruler. There was no choice for me but to be Queen, for I was the only surviving member of the Royal family. And so I took the crown, but one of my father's advisers ruled the kingdom for me until I was old enough."

"It is a good thing you live in a peaceful society," Kikyou said. "It must not be that hard to maintain order among your people."

At this statement, Umegae let out a sigh. She ran her hand over her rich auburn locks, adjusting the circlet which served as her crown, the same one which many generations of Shikayoukai Queens have worn. In truth, the circlet was of the sort that hugs the head at the sides rather than a ring fully encircling the crown of the head. Attached to this circlet was a lightweight structure that looked like the ribs of an open fan, and viewed from the front the wearer looked as though she had a radiating halo at the back of her head.

"Is that how the beings of the outside world view us deer youkai?" she said. "Although I am pleased that you think of us as nonviolent, nothing could be further from the truth. We seldom fight with rival youkai clans indeed, choosing diplomacy instead of war. But within our own clan...ah, you have no idea how ruthless our society can get."

"Ruthless?"

"Lady Kikyou, the most common problem I face as their ruler is regarding rivalries among shikayoukai families. One wants to dominate another in every way possible. Even the Royal family is not spared, though from our elevated shelf we are granted some respite. When I was old enough to be mated, a fierce fight broke out among my potential suitors. You see, some of them are just pawns to the families they belonged to."

"And Isamu was the victorious one, isn't he?"

Umegae let out a chuckle, but her smile was rather sad. "In a way. But actually, I _chose _him. You may think that is a perfectly fine way to end the dispute, but to the Deer youkai, my action was rather unacceptable. Normally, there is no 'choice.' The males would have to fight each other unto death, and the one left standing gets the right to mate. But I loved Isamu, so I went ahead and told them my intentions."

Kikyou smiled at her companion's bold action. "It must have been a shock to them."

"You have no idea. Isamu was my childhood friend, but as the over-all Lord of the Shikayoukai he had to work very hard to earn acceptance. Many of his jealous rivals tried to overthrow him even after we were mated, and much to his dislike our advisers made him take the usual action of previous shikayoukai lords when faced with such matters..."

"And that is...?"

"Total annihilation."

A stunned silence fell over Kikyou. She was perplexed to find out that Sesshoumaru's opinion was strongly accepted within the ranks of the shikayoukai. To him, diplomacy was painstaking and impractical compared to the swifter yet bloodier alternative of total annihilation. Sesshoumaru believed that victory was only when the enemy was vanquished through and through, and even if he took Kikyou as his mate he never wavered in that belief of his.

"Somehow, I don't believe that is the right thing to do," Umegae said. "He is a gentle man, and so is my sister. A part of me is quite happy that she never became Queen. She wouldn't have survived something like this..." She sighed.

Kikyou sighed as well. Kikumo had tried to be hateful to Sesshoumaru by allying herself to Naraku, but in the end her true nature prevailed. She was truly a kind yet fragile person. And a person like that would find life in such society unbearable.

Unconsciously, she reached within her sleeve and fished out the jade hair stick which Kikumo had given to her moments before her death. Umegae appeared to recognize the hair stick at once, for she gasped, "That's Oneesama's!"

"She gave it to me before she died," Kikyou said softly. Fingering the slender jade carefully, she held it out to Umegae, saying, "But I think it would be better returned to you, Lady Umegae. You are, after all, her sister..."

But Umegae smiled and gently pushed Kikyou's hand which held the hair stick away. "Although I am sorry that the Hiroko Kama is lost forever, I suggest that you keep my sister's relic," said she.

"But..."

"She gave it to you, Lady Kikyou. She meant you to have it."

Seeing that Umegae was sincere in her wish that she should keep the hair stick, Kikyou returned the object back to her sleeve with a slight smile on her lips. She looked at Umegae, and the demoness' smile widened as she nodded. She was so alike her sister, yet so different...

"Please don't address me as a lady," Kikyou said. "I am only a human..."

"You are Lord Sesshoumaru's mate," Umegae replied. "It doesn't matter if you're a human. You don't even have to address me as a Queen for that matter."

After thinking for some time and watching Rin and Yanagi playing nearby, Kikyou finally had an idea.

"Maybe we can call each other as friends," she said.

Umegae appeared pleased. "I would like that, indeed."

She held out her hand, and Kikyou shook it. And so began the friendship of the Queen of the Deer Demons and the former Priestess, the first of its kind in many a long time.

...o0o...

'_Foolish talk,'_ Asagao thought to herself. She can clearly hear the conversation of her mistress with her human guest on the balcony from her quarters in the fourth level, which was built that way primarily so she can immediately cater to the needs of the Queen if she called.

Deciding that Umegae probably won't summon her in a while, Asagao stood up and walked out of her chambers. Traversing the intricate passages, she broke free of the fortress and out to the open courtyard beyond.

A barely discernible shadow passed among the plants, and she stopped to listen. She knew they were there. They were around. Could the Queen or the former miko sense them by now? Hopefully not.

Taking in a deep breath, Asagao went back in and fetched a blank scroll of paper. She ground some ink on water until she thought she had the right consistency. Now that she had what she needed, she dipped a brush in ink began to write.

_Since the rain had started falling, the water within the moat had swelled. To get rid of this excess water, one has to..._

...o0o...

What do you think Asagao is doing? ;P Find out in Chapter 14! Please pray that I won't be too ill to finish this fic! T.T

**Cold Kikyo:** Poor Kiky indeed. At least Umegae and Rin somehow make her feel at home, ne? ;P

**Gossamer Wind:** You reading my mind? ;P Well, that is not exactly how it will go, but you're getting the hang of it...

**The East Wind Melts the Ice:** The war will end soon, but there will bea lot of action, I tell you!

**blackwater-fever:** Hanazuki and Kikumo are my favorites among my invented characters. :)

**fullmoon590:** Indeed. A little Sesshy playing with his mommy is POLES away from the Sesshoumaru wielding Toukijin... o.o

**xXx:** Aaaw, thanks so much!

**Water Faerie:** I hope you liked Umegae!


	15. Chapter 14: Isamu's Oath

**XIV: Isamu's Oath and Karatake's Trap**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **My, my, what have we here? Chapter 14 is up, yay! Nothing really much to say, so read on!

...o0o...

Having finished whatever she had to write, Asagao rolled up the paper into a scroll. From the armory rooms of the fortress, she took a spear, the type which could be launched at great distances, and tied the scroll to it. She made sure that the twine was strong. The message had to be tied securely, lest it be blown away by the wind as the spear was thrown into the air.

Once she was satisfied by her handiwork, the demoness went up to the first level of the fortress. Rolling up a blind slightly and opening one of the windows, Asagao can see a bolt of lightning as the great surge of electricity foretold the coming of yet another storm of rain. She had better hurry.

Asagao tucked the scroll and the spear beneath her arm and with her free hands she carried several pieces of heavy wood. These pieces of wood formed a notch, and into this notch she fitted the end of the spear. As quietly as possible, she positioned this structure such that once launched, the spear would fly clear out of the window. She knew that it was worth the effort of dragging such heavy blocks of wood up the fortress, for with them she can throw the spear much farther than she could with her arms alone.

Finally, she stepped on the notched wood with the right amount of pressure, and at once the spear went flying out of the fortress like an oversized arrow. In a perfect parabola, it went clear out of the moat and its waters, finally embedding itself on the trunk of a pine tree growing near the lip of the cliff. Almost at once, a shadow detached itself from the darkness of the tree.

A corpse of a dead bird lay at the roots of the pine, but at once this dead piece of rotting flesh and feathers infested by ants stirred, and with great effort, managed to clamber up the crooked trunk and peck away at the twine holding the note in place. After reading carefully what was written in it, bird corpse and scroll fell motionless down the cliff to be lost in the white tumble of the Shiroitaki. And it wasn't done too soon, for just as the inanimate objects disappeared into the roaring waters, the rain let loose its fury and whipped the lands with its pitiless fingers.

Taking advantage of the deep darkness that had fallen over the land, the creature of the shadows went noiselessly through the forest and passed the information on to his brethren who were made of shadows as he. In a short time, the words on the scroll made their way over the mountains of the West and into a dark pinnacle of obsidian jutting out of a barren wasteland.

"_So, Sesshoumaru, you intend to keep the existence of your human mate a secret? If she dies, what do you intend to do next?"_

...o0o...

The skies remained overcast. There was yet another violent rainfall the night before, slowing their progress considerably. Sesshoumaru stood unmoving on top of a grassy, gentle hill and observed the skies with a frown.

"How far can we go with this kind of weather, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken asked, pacing impatiently at his heels.

Sesshoumaru snorted, and tore his gaze off the merciless heavens. His amber eyes focused on the area of the West spread before their eyes.

"The weather doesn't bother me," he replied to his retainer. In truth, he was more bothered by the army he now had to take care of. He would have effortlessly gotten to his destination on his own, but to have a whole battalion following him... And what a pain in the neck it is, to have to supervise whatever action those masses had to take.

Gone were the fingerlike limestone hills of the Realm of the Deer youkai, and what beheld the sight instead was a wide granite-littered plain as wide as the eye can see. This was the same plain where he often played hide and seek with his mother in his youth, but the field bore not its brightness in his memory. The grasses looked gray among the boulders scattered throughout the field, sodden and muddy with the rain.

Or perhaps, the Demon Prince thought to himself, he was the only one seeing it that way. Since he was witness to the bloodshed that happened in this place so long ago, to him the beauty in this place was non-existent.

They had departed from the Borderlands the day before, and at his command they marched into the West. The Minetetsu, where Mizutori said his uncle Karatake was sealed, was in the Barren Wastes of his domain, which in turn were located a good distance further north. They would have to pass this grassy plain and a great stretch of forest before they can reach it, and the land had become as unpredictable as the weather.

The Barren Wastes themselves were among the most difficult of places to pass. A wide territory comprising of canyons and crevices of dark obsidian, it was easy to get lost in the natural labyrinth of cold, forbidding rock if one knew not the way...or could not fly, for that matter.

"Are we to make most of the lull in the rain to cut through this field?" Isamu asked, appearing beside Sesshoumaru.

The silver-haired taiyoukai glanced at the other Demon Lord from his peripheral vision, choosing to remain as motionless as ever.

"How swiftly can you manage it?" Sesshoumaru interrogated in a flat tone, as though he strongly doubted if Isamu and his people can do so. Behind him, at the foot of the gentle hill, he can hear several of Isamu's underlings, most of them in their deer form, engaging in constant feats of strength among each other while waiting for Sesshoumaru's orders, locking antlers and seeking to push the challenger backwards.

"We can do it in no time," Isamu replied, ignoring the slight sarcasm in Sesshoumaru's eyes.

To this, Sesshoumaru didn't reply for some time. He continued to stare at the wide field spread before them. The clouds were gathering, promising yet another shower of rain. He'd better hurry in his decision. It wouldn't do to be struck by lightning in the midst of crossing this great plain. But there was something else that the silver-haired taiyoukai can feel, a filth that nearly made his nose wrinkle...

His uncle's minions. They were somewhere close. Masses of them. They'd better prepare for a clash of weapons soon.

"You must miss the Lady Kikyou, Sesshoumaru-sama," Isamu said softly, stepping beside him and surveying the flatland like the amber-eyed inuyoukai.

Sesshoumaru gave an incoherent grunt as a reply, not even looking at his ally.

Isamu smiled slightly and sighed. "I haven't been parted from my own wife for a time as long as this," he told Sesshoumaru. He looked up at the sky, as though by doing so he would see his beloved Umegae's face and their daughter, Yanagi-hime.

Jaken walked up to the dark-eyed shikayoukai and queried, "Are you sure that Sesshoumaru-sama's mate is safe among yours?"

"I am perfectly sure," Isamu replied, but otherwise said no more.

The cold look in Sesshoumaru's golden oculars flickered slightly. He and Isamu were a bit of polar opposites with regards to attitude, him being the cold and ruthless type and Isamu as the rather friendly sort who seeks to understand others rather than subjugate them. It was quite a miracle how they managed to get along at all in the eyes of other youkai.

But with regards to their familial matters, they were not quite that different. They both have children at this time of war, and to be separated from their respective mates... Although Sesshoumaru would never show it in front of others besides Kikyou herself, he in fact sorely missed his beloved wife. Like Isamu, he had never spent a whole day apart from Kikyou in the two years she had been his mate.

To be without her comforting touch and to not feel her loving presence by his side was something that almost drove him insane; the image of her beautiful face and the concern for her safety was present in his thoughts ever since he left her at the gates of the shikayoukai fortress exactly a day earlier.

Kikyou. How Sesshoumaru longed for her. He was beginning to have doubts as to whether he made the right choice in keeping her from standing beside him now. Should he have allowed her to come with him, so as to spare them both from the pains of parting?

Hastily, Sesshoumaru shook those thoughts and doubts from his mind. He knew he made the right decision. She was better safe and apart from him, rather than dead in the same battlefield as he. Even if they may never see each other again in this mortal world, there is always the afterlife. Besides, Kikyou has their child. Sesshoumaru hoped that she would think of him whenever she gazes at the face of their little one, once he or she is born.

Unknown to any soul, when they first settled in the West, Kikyou had given him the white ribbon she used to tie her hair into. That was partly the reason why she didn't tie her hair back anymore like she would in her miko days, and left it instead loose and flowing on her back. Kikyou told Sesshoumaru that her gesture meant that she had fully left her past behind her. She had severed her ties with most of the outside world, especially his younger brother, to be with him. She was his, and he was hers, until the end of time.

Sesshoumaru had kept this white piece of plain cloth all this time, tucked close to his heart within his kimono. In a way, she was with him as long as he kept that intimate item of hers. It served as a reminder to him that should he lose this war, there was so much that would be lost. He must be victorious over Karatake, not only for his mother, but for Kikyou and his child as well.

"Ready them for the march," Sesshoumaru ordered Isamu. "Tell them I want us clear of this field before another drop of rain falls."

"Yes, milord," Isamu said to the other taiyoukai, bowing slightly and turning on his heels to give his soldiers the order.

Jaken stepped closer to his master saying at the same time, "Do you really think, Sesshoumaru-sama, that Kikyou and Rin are safe in the Realm of the Shikayoukai?" The toady demon normally didn't show much concern for his lord's human mate or their adopted daughter, but over the years Jaken had gotten so used to their presence that he couldn't help but be worried that Karatake's minions might find them.

"_He_ will pay if Kikyou and Rin are harmed while they are in his domain," Sesshoumaru whispered coldly, emphasizing the 'he' in the statement. Jaken knew that it could stand for two persons. It could be Karatake, but even more, it could be the Lord of the Shikayoukai, Isamu. It could even be both. Who knows what went on in Sesshoumaru's mind?

But one thing is clear. Sesshoumaru looked over his shoulder and observed Isamu conferring with several deer youkai at the foot of the hill, and with his words the whole army stopped to listen. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes.

If Kikyou died in the hands of his uncle's minions, Karatake would not be the only person to pay the price.

Isamu would have to pay with his life.

...o0o...

The sun was well up before Kikyou awoke. She felt rather cold; her hands went out to grab Sesshoumaru's fur and pull it closer to her, but her fingers touched rich silks instead. The former priestess was awake in an instant, and she sat up on the soft mattress where she slept on for the night. For a while, she was disoriented, but soon memory and realization changed the look in her mahogany eyes. Of course, she and Rin were in the palace of the Deer Demons, and her husband was away, somewhere in the battlefield fighting his uncle.

"Kikyou-sama, you're awake!" Rin's energetic voice made its way into her ears. The little girl was on the verandah, intently observing the misty lights. But noticing that her foster mother had awoken, she went in and hugged Kikyou.

Rin's loving action temporarily appeased the tears that threatened to spill from Kikyou's soft orbs. Sesshoumaru. How she missed him. Did he miss her as much? Was he thinking of her at present? Will he remember her whenever he draws the Toukijin in battle? It was hard for her to spend a night without dreaming of him.

"Well, my timing is very good," Umegae said. The young Shikayoukai Queen entered the room with her baby bundled up close to her chest. She was carrying a tray laden with fruits and a pot of steaming water for tea. "Now we can all breakfast together."

Kikyou put her thoughts about Sesshoumaru at the back of her mind and put on a smile. "Oh Umegae, you didn't have to..." She got up from bed and took the tray from Umegae's hands, setting it on the low table near the door which opened to the verandah.

Umegae brushed the apology aside with a smile, saying that even in her high status she was accustomed to preparing her own meals. Though she sat with them throughout the meal, Umegae didn't take a bite of food until she was sure that Kikyou, Rin and her own daughter Yanagi were comfortable.

Yanagi was still too young to take in such foods, so Umegae made her suckle at her breast. It was then that Kikyou noticed her companion's clothing. Though Umegae still had on the rich wave-and-shell shawl, she was clad much simpler, in a robe that consisted only of two or three layers over which she had tied a black obi. But the lovely plum and violet tones of her clothing combined with the elegant pattern of silver grasses sweeping the hem of her black underrobe set off her regal aura better than many-layered robes.

"Your dress is so pretty, Umegae-sama!" Rin remarked. Clearly, she was as fascinated with the robe as Kikyou.

"Why thank you, Rin-chan!" Umegae replied good-naturedly. "I really prefer these kinds of robes better than the bulky twelve-layered ones. Besides, I have Yanagi-chan here. Many layers of clothing would get in the way if you have someone to nurse."

Yanagi was full by this time, and she let go of her mother's breast to sleep. Umegae fixed her garbs and tucked her daughter securely in the sling on which she carried her baby. Finally, she took a piece of citrus from the bowl and sucked the succulent pulp from the black seeds.

"Was it difficult for you to give birth to her?" Kikyou asked.

"Normally for youkai we don't need assistance when giving birth," Umegae replied. "But in my family we are always assisted by another demoness when our time comes."

"Do you think you can find someone who will be able to help me in the delivery of my own child?" It was their firstborn; Kikyou's joy was mingled with fear at encountering the unexpected. Sesshoumaru may be her husband, and he would strive to be with her, but his knowledge of birth was even less than hers. If she were to safely deliver their child, she would have to get the aid of an experienced healer, even if among youkai.

"I will personally be in your assistance when you need me," Umegae said with a smile. "As a healer I have seen many births, and I believe I can be of help to you when your own time has come."

"You are too kind..." Kikyou muttered, hardly believing her good fortune. It was already one thing to be taken into the wing of the Queen of the Deer Demons in the time of war. To be cared for by the same demoness when she gives birth was something equally, perhaps even more touching. And Kikyou was a human! That doubled the wonder, a Demon Lady looking after a mortal woman...

"My family has been indebted to the inuyoukai for many a long time," Umegae replied, shaking her head slightly. "Perhaps we can repay some of those by helping you in childbirth the way we are now helping Sesshoumaru-sama by taking Rin and you in. Besides, aren't we friends, Kikyou? I am only doing what I think is right."

"Sesshoumaru..." At the mention of her husband, the depressed expression that spread over Kikyou's face was so plain that Rin squeezed her hand gently in concern.

"Where did Sesshoumaru-sama go, Kikyou-sama?" Rin asked quietly. She wasn't yet aware of how serious the situation was, let alone the reason why the taiyoukai left them in Umegae's care.

Kikyou berated herself for letting her emotions slip. She patted Rin on the arm and mumbled an incoherent reply.

"You miss him, don't you?" The sympathy and sadness in Umegae's voice made Kikyou look up. "I can hear you crying his name in your sleep."

Umegae's compassion released Kikyou's grief. She bowed her head and began to cry softly. She had managed to somehow forget about her mate the earlier day when Umegae occupied them by sharing to them her knowledge of the virtues and healing abilities of many herbs and forest plants they never encountered before. She had even given Kikyou a packet of dried herbs she had grown herself, which she said can lessen the pain of any wound. But to be without Sesshoumaru even for a day already seemed like an eternity of torture to Kikyou, and she felt that she would lose her mind if her sorrow didn't find a way out soon.

"I used to be so confident that we would be together until our children are grown," Kikyou said, sniffling slightly. "But now I do not know how many days more are left. As I think of all the days I took his love for granted, I know I would give all that I can to stop time or return back to those days, just so I can hold him...love him...tell him how much I love him..." She broke off and hid her face in her sleeve.

Rin was hugging Kikyou and telling her softly that Sesshoumaru-sama loves her and that they would be together forever, but it served little to ease the older woman's pain. Yanagi awoke and seemed puzzled at the glum atmosphere of the room, but she went back to sleep in a short moment. Umegae rocked her baby for a few times, but she said nothing, allowing Kikyou to vent out her feelings.

Finally, after several minutes, Kikyou stopped crying and bowed apologetically in Umegae's direction.

"I didn't mean to act so badly," she began, keeping her head bowed. "I am sorry for ruining your morning, Umegae. You and Isamu had done so much for us..."

Kikyou gathered the strength to look at Umegae's deep green eyes. The young demoness didn't even flinch. Kikyou was surprised to see both pity and understanding in the Queen's face.

"No, Kikyou, you mustn't apologize over that," she said. Though she wasn't smiling, her tone was not cold. "You aren't alone in your grief. I yearn for Isamu too, and in all these years we have hardly spent an entire day apart. I didn't understand the human nature of mourning before I found love in Isamu, and I admire how much you are willing to stake for the sake of your beloved."

Kikyou looked deeply into those emerald orbs, and she got to see her own sentiments mirrored in them. Umegae, Queen of the Shikayoukai, was not exempt from the pain brought about by her parting from her beloved Isamu. The former miko can see the intensity of her suffering as she cradled Yanagi in her arms.

She doesn't deserve this, Kikyou thought. Neither she nor Isamu deserves this. They, the parents of this little bit of life swathed in cloths, ought to be together and pouring their love and delight over their first child...not apart because of a war that hardly concerns them. How insignificant Kikyou's tears must be compared with their plight...separated in the name of their duty to Sesshoumaru's family.

"I believe Sesshoumaru-sama will succeed in his cause, I really do," Umegae said. "I know he will, for if he can succeed in fighting his past battles with his thoughts focused solely upon himself, I am sure he will further be motivated to think that you are waiting for him."

"I know it is wrong of me to wish for him to worry about me," Kikyou answered. "But I just can't help it..."

"He worries for you, Kikyou. The mere fact that he wants you and Rin to be safe is an act of love in itself. I know Isamu would have done the same should we be in your place."

After a while of silence, Kikyou looked up with renewed determination.

"And I believe that you and Isamu will be able to watch Yanagi grow together. They have to succeed, they have to. There is so much at stake, but perhaps the light will extinguish all the darkness in the very end."

At the pulse of her words, Umegae smiled and kissed her sleeping daughter's brow. Kikyou smiled as well and her arms went around Rin. She looked outside and for a while she was lost in the breathtaking beauty of the sceneries of the Borderlands. Then she happened to notice something.

"Is it just me or the mist is thicker out in that region?" Kikyou pointed out a place further north in the distance. Although fog was a natural compliment to the hills of the Realm of the Deer Demons, the region she just pointed out was indeed different. The fog of the Borderlands was constantly shifting like the water in a boiling kettle, and no view of the land was the same twice.

But that mysterious place to the north was bereft of the hills of the Borderlands, and was covered with a steady kind of mist which was almost opaque to Kikyou's eyes. This mist had a different quality to the fog of the Borderlands, and never even dissipated or thinned out throughout their stay in the fortress.

"Oh, that place?" Umegae said, squinting slightly as she looked at the direction Kikyou was pointing out. "That is considered part of the Western Lands, and my people hardly venture there. They say that the region is enchanted, and not even a youkai can set foot there..."

...o0o...

Hearing the twittering of birds above her, Mizutori stirred from her nap. Several sparrows flew urgently above her head, calling out their distress.

"Whatever is the matter with you?" Mizutori asked, fluffing up her feathers and standing to her full height to listen. When the grave news reached her ears, her eyes widened and at once she understood why her friends were so scared.

Looking around at her pond, she pondered on what she must do, at the same time remembering the time how Sesshoumaru nearly choked her to death. He might not want her to poke her feathers in his family's business again, and he would not hesitate to kill her if she incurred his temper. But she knew that she must do _something..._

Finally, in a strong gust of wind, Mizutori took off and was airborne. It had been centuries since she last left her safe haven in her pond, but Karatake's minions are on the move. She had to help Kikyou and the Queen of the Shikayoukai before it was too late.

...o0o...

They had barely crossed halfway through the field when numbers of those undead minions appeared out of nowhere and began to attack. At once, Sesshoumaru had whipped out the Toukijin and swung it in a graceful arc before them. The mere pressure of the blow decimated almost all of the filthy beings in the very front of their lines, many more of them went out of the rocks or beneath the ground to replenish the loss.

Isamu at once organized his men in counterattack, and soon the field was overwhelmed by a writhing, struggling mass of deer youkai and possessed human corpses clashing in combat. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow slightly to see the normally nonviolent Isamu skillfully maneuvering his naginata and sending many of their enemies to their deaths, but he was soon occupied in slaying the unwanted assailants that he put the other taiyoukai out of his mind.

Jaken was no less in action, putting the power of the Staff of Heads to good use. Running like a wild horse on the loose, he used his small size to be able to cut through some of the enemy lines and burn many of the undead to ashes. It had been about two years since the Staff of Heads last saw some action during their last stand against Naraku, and though the toady demon wasn't exactly pleased at having to go to war again, his enthusiasm on serving Sesshoumaru fueled his might.

They came upon the company of Karatake's minions just as the sun had risen from the east, but when Sesshoumaru and his allies had managed to finally crush the last remaining resistance, the sun was already a little bit past its noon time zenith. It wasn't the sheer youkai powers of the enemies that gave them a hard time (they possessed no command over the elements whatsoever and had to rely on physical weapons), but rather their great numbers. Isamu had gathered pretty much all of the able male deer youkai in the army, but even then he was temporarily afraid that they were severely outnumbered.

Sesshoumaru, however, appeared to be as indifferent as ever. He inspected the numerous corpses of their dead enemies with not so much a grunt and a remark on how weak they were. Isamu, meanwhile, was quickly checking on his soldiers to see the intensity of their injuries, and he gave a relieved sigh to find out that there wasn't a casualty reported in their lines. Those who were wounded were easily recovering thanks to their full youkai healing prowess and the herbs that many of their fellow shikayoukai used to aid in the healing. Content that they had held up somehow, Isamu walked to Sesshoumaru and Jaken who were still among the enemy dead checking if any of them still drew breath.

"We suffered no losses whatsoever, milord," Isamu reported, stepping beside the silver-haired inuyoukai and his toad-like companions.

But before Sesshoumaru or Jaken can reply, a huge bulk of a corpse lifted itself up from the rotting piles of rigor mortis and lunged at them in a futile effort to bring them down. Sesshoumaru's hand shot out at once and clamped his clawed fingers around the neck of the undead. He would have melted the imbecile right then and there, but the final words of their enemy made the poison stand still in Sesshoumaru's fingertips.

"_We know of your human bride," _the youkai in the corpse sneered, a twisted grin spreading on his already malformed mouth. "_We know that she is now hiding in the Borderlands, and many of our ranks had gone ahead of us to kill her along with anyone who dares to come to her aid."_

Sesshoumaru's amber eyes immediately took on a shade of blood red. Though he can hardly believe the foul youkai's words, he gave himself the temporary satisfaction of granting the lower life a slow death, gradually spreading his poison to reduce the body into a pile of toxic meltdown. But once the dreadful screams of the minion died away, Sesshoumaru turned to Isamu and his hand was around the other youkai's neck in a mere blink of an eye, lifting him slightly from the ground..

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken said out before he can help it, but he could say no more. The fury in his master's eyes was unlike anything he had ever seen, and he immediately drew back in fear of Sesshoumaru's wrath.

Several of the shikayoukai saw what the Demon Prince was doing to their own lord, and they immediately ran near to come to Isamu's aid. But Isamu, though he can hardly speak with the squeezing grip on his throat, shot them a glare that meant for them to stay where they are.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't destroy you with my bare hands," Sesshoumaru said in a deliberate and deadly whisper, the pupils of his blood-red eyes narrowing into mere vertical slits.

With great effort, Isamu managed to speak, his own hands clamping themselves around the other taiyoukai's wrist to somehow loosen his grip.

"Because...I can help...Kikyou-sama!" he blurted out, nearly choking on the last word.

At the mention of Kikyou, the angry frown in Sesshoumaru's face deepened.

"You said she is safe where I left her," Sesshoumaru replied, his dangerous tone unchanged. "I have no place for a liar like you."

Isamu felt the cold fingers tighten their hold around his neck, and he knew that he must do something if he was to live a long life.

"Allow me...to go...and save her, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"Why should I?"

Isamu was barely holding up. He felt the air being squeezed out of him. The image of his beloved Umegae flashed over his mind, and he recalled holding his little daughter close to him. Were these the last thoughts that would go through his mind? Suddenly, the truth dawned upon him: their enemy would kill his own family as well for helping Kikyou. They were all ensnared tightly in Karatake's trap.

"My wife and daughter are in danger as well!" Isamu found himself shouting back. His youki burst forth, surprising even Sesshoumaru himself. "I vow in the name of Umegae and Yanagi that I will save Kikyou-sama at all costs!"

Sesshoumaru felt something snap inside him to hear Isamu mention his own mate and their infant daughter. In his past life, he wouldn't have paid even the least thought to those words, but now that he had his own wife and an unborn child, he knew exactly how Isamu must feel. But should he trust this Deer Demon?

'_Sesshoumaru...'_

He nearly dropped Isamu. Did he really hear Kikumo's voice in his mind? Sesshoumaru knew his eyes were open, but it was as though everything came into a blur and all he can see was the face of his past lover looking at him with a sad smile, her emerald eyes laced with understanding.

'_Let him go, Sesshoumaru. Allow him to help you save your mate. I have been with Kikyou all this time, and I won't let her be harmed. I promise you, Sesshoumaru._

_I won't let her be harmed.'_

As quickly as it had come, the vision disappeared. As though he had intended to do it all along, Sesshoumaru let go of his hold on Isamu. He crumpled to his knees on the ground, and several of the deer youkai moved beside him to assist him, sparing fearful glances at Sesshoumaru.

"Go and do what you have to do," Sesshoumaru said imperiously. "If you fail this time, my claws will bid you farewell."

Isamu's hand fumbled for his naginata, which he let fall to the ground when Sesshoumaru clamped his hand around his throat. But when he stood up, he faced Sesshoumaru with a fearless gaze and said, "I leave you my oath that I will not stop until Kikyou-sama is safe. It is my vow, and no one will stop me from fulfilling it." He then turned to the other deer demons who now bowed to him. "I leave you in Sesshoumaru-sama's command. You are to obey him just as you had obeyed me."

Jaken, who had been silent all this time, offered to go with Isamu, but he would not hear of it. He only selected a handful of his soldiers to accompany him on his new mission, and in a galloping of hooves, they departed racing against time.

Sesshoumaru watched them go, and his eyes returned to their previous amber luster. Only his pride deterred him from openly expressing his despair at his mate's situation, but he knew that he was needed here. Sesshoumaru would have gone and come to Kikyou's rescue himself, but only he can face Karatake. Such painful and costly choices...and he had to put his full trust on Isamu now.

'Kikyou...'

He turned and faced the steely skies. A steady fall of raindrops began to wash away some of the filth that littered the ground, but nothing could probably wash away his inner tears. He only hoped that Isamu wasn't too late yet.

_I won't let her be harmed._

As the trickle of rain began to increase its intensity, soon drenching his long silvery locks, Sesshoumaru knew that it was no use hoping. He had to move on. Severely addressing the deer youkai, he ordered them to carry on with the march and they humbly submitted to his will.

Then, as he recalled the unusual and untimely vision he had earlier, he found himself wondering what Kikumo's words meant.

_I have been with Kikyou all this time..._

...o0o...

What do you think is the meaning behind Kikumo's vision? She isn't alive...is she? ;P I hope to finish this story in a few weeks' time, so stay tuned!

**Lady Fabmel:** I know; betrayals are always part of my story soup, ne:3 I am quite amazed I didn't put up any (obvious/official) form of betrayal in TUSotM until now...

**Aya.Chaos:** It's five (FIVE!) more months before Sess and Kik's baby is born, but I might (MIGHT)write about the birth somewhere in the end.

**Azn kawaii kikyo the devil:** Hmmm, not exactly a poem, but it sure something has to do with getting rid of Kiky. /tuts/ Bad, bad Asagao...

**Cold Kikyo:** Kikumo and Umegae are a nice set of siblings, ne? Not at all like Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. /coughcough/

**Gossamer Wind:** It's not a curse either. ;P Don't worry, I won't make Umegae die in the manner of Kikumo. We already have too many tragic characters; I don't know if I can make room for more...

**The East Wind Melts the Ice:** No, Asagao's not writing a diary. ;P But sure, I indeed am reminded of the 'evil' Kikumo whenever I write about her. Ahem, characters like her will reach a certain end... /wink/

**Water Faerie:** True, true.

**(smilies):** Thanks for reviewing!


	16. Chapter 15: Escape and Loss

**XV: Escape and Loss **

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **Read on, read on! ;P

...o0o...

The attack began a little after noon, just as the combined forces of Sesshoumaru and Isamu managed to subdue the first attack of Karatake's minions, and the Lord of the Deer Demons had come hasting back to the Borderlands upon finding out the danger Kikyou and Umegae were in. But not even their unstopping gallops can enable them to reach the Fortress of the Deer Demons at the right time.

Many of the Western rivers which they had to cross in order to return to their realm were wild with the numerous gallons of water stampeding down the mountains, and there was no choice but to take the longer way around them. Isamu gnashed his teeth in desperation, knowing that every moment lost led his mate and daughter, along with Kikyou and Rin, closer to their doom. But even youkai are subject to the fury of nature; he and his charges could only surrender to the elements' will and make full use of what limited resources are given them.

Umegae had sensed something peculiar around noontime, and Kikyou had asked in a concerned tone what was wrong.

"The fauna are telling me of shadows," the Shikayoukai Queen had replied. She was looking out of the balcony of her wing, frowning slightly as she carefully observed their surroundings. "They say that 'many shadows' are coming, and the pines cry that 'a point had struck one of their kind.' I don't understand what they mean..."

"'Many shadows?'" Kikyou repeated, stepping beside Umegae with Yanagi bundled up in her arms. The Demon Lady had thoughtfully allowed Kikyou to carry and fondle the baby Yanagi to somehow ease her longing for Sesshoumaru. But even as she watched the former priestess and admired her talent with children, Umegae herself was worrying about her mate, Isamu. "A point striking a pine? Is this the first time they are like this?"

"I have a gift with the plants that my sister doesn't have," Umegae said, still frowning. "I can talk to them like I would talk to a person. I can hear their calls, but only if I asked. They never voluntarily cried out to me like this..."

Kikyou automatically thought that they were in trouble.

"Do you think they are warning us that we are about to go under siege?" Kikyou asked. Yanagi was playfully tugging at her raven locks; Kikyou gently eased the little fingers from their hold on her hair and looked at Umegae with a questioning glance.

"There is no way one can besiege the fortress," Umegae said softly, thinking deeply. "The moat is wide enough to render the palace itself out of the reach of arrows, and the rock face to which the fortress is built could not be scaled for a good distance...neither is it scalable in the other sides... Besides, there is an invisible barrier here that I alone maintain. The fortress cannot be penetrated...unless-"

The 'unless' had barely reached Kikyou's ears when Umegae suddenly reeled out and came between her and the door to the balcony. A few flecks of blood splashed on Kikyou's face, and she barely had the time to catch Umegae before a knife thrown at the air struck the young demoness on the shoulder.

...o0o...

"Asagao!" Umegae muttered, her deep green eyes wide with surprise, anger and pain. With surprising courage, she got hold of the handle of the knife embedded on her shoulder and pulled it out in a flow of blood that stained her robes. "How could you..."

Asagao was standing on the doorway with a crazed look in her eyes. She was holding Rin by the shoulder, but what really prevented the frightened little girl from screaming out or struggling was the knife point the demoness was pressing deliberately against her neck. Kikyou felt herself boiling with rage.

"Let her go!" Kikyou demanded, but she could do no further action as her arms were full of Yanagi and Umegae, who leaned against her as the force of the blow pushed her backwards. Asagao walked forward in deliberate steps, forcing them to retreat further backwards. Soon, Kikyou felt the railings of the balcony pressing against her back.

"Insignificant fools!" Asagao said, pulling Rin roughly by the air and making her cry out involuntarily. Kikyou felt her heart clench...she couldn't help but remember the time when Kikumo abducted Rin at Naraku's command. But even then, the Demon Princess was gentler with Rin than this demoness is...

"Wake up, Asagao," Umegae was saying, getting up with great effort. Kikyou felt worry building inside her. "You were never like this..."

Fury began to boil clearly in the other demoness' eyes.

"You were not even supposed to be in this throne," she answered back. "Your sister, Kikumo-hime, was a far better person than you are. You made a great mistake, Your Majesty. In sheltering Kikyou and this little brat, you have wrought the doom of the Royal Family and your daughter!"

With that, she raised her knife as though to stab Rin directly on her head, but Kikyou had had enough. Her miko powers burst out before even she can control them, and she barely had the time to stretch out one of her hands as blue flame emerged.

The flame caught Asagao neatly on the head. She let go of Rin and the knife she held in terror as she put her hands on her head to put out the flames. Rin ran crying to Kikyou. Yanagi, by this time, was beginning to be aware of the peril and began to cry.

Umegae then told Kikyou and Rin that they were to leave the fortress immediately. The wound on her shoulder was still bleeding as she led them past the screaming and writhing form of her lady-in-waiting and out the door. Kikyou stopped for a while and ordered Rin to retrieve her miko weapons where they lay around the corner, and once this was done, they began their frantic race to save themselves.

"This place is littered by a network of caves," Umegae said breathlessly as they ran down the corridors, "there is a secret way here that leads out, I believe no one but Isamu and I know of its existence..."

"Where is it?" Kikyou asked in the same breathless tone. She was clutching on to a still crying Yanagi, and she made an effort to ease her tears by rocking her gently and singing a little lullaby. Rin had Kikyou's quiver on her back, and she would have looked funny carrying a bow nearly twice her size if not their situation was very tense.

They stopped to catch their breath. By now, they were in the third level of the fortress.

But before Umegae can answer, a deafening bang was heard further below. They ran to a nearby window and pushed the blinds apart. Sprays of water and debris reached even their place in the third level, and when Kikyou looked down the window, her eyes widened to see that the explosion had opened up a hole in the moat, and the water was seeping out in torrents. Then she heard battle cries. Numerous undead began to emerge around the breach like mushrooms, and Kikyou wondered why she wasn't able to feel their presence earlier...

She heard Umegae whispering, "Kikyou...forgive me... I cannot hold up the barrier for longer... There is a portion of the moat that is weaker than the others, which could be opened to release any excess water that might flood the fortress. They had breached this, and in a few minutes they will be able to walk on dry land...right at us."

Kikyou glanced at Umegae and she was horrified to see that the bleeding on the young Queen's shoulder worsening. That knife must be poisoned...why else would a full youkai like Umegae surrender to a mere stab wound? They have to find a cure...quickly.

"Umegae-sama!" Rin ran up to the demoness and caressed her sweaty face. Umegae smiled weakly and her determination was renewed.

"We must go," she said, pulling herself up.

"We must at least staunch that wound with something," Kikyou contradicted, but Umegae shook her head firmly and led them into a passageway they had never before entered in their brief stay in the fortress. There were numerous bronze statues of fully armored soldiers pushed against the wall, their faces pulled in fearful expressions. Umegae pushed one of them out of the way, revealing a hidden corridor.

They entered this corridor and were just about to push the statue back on its place when they heard the doors of the fortress being forced open. Almost at once, the ground beneath them shuddered as many feet began to clamber up the floors. There was no time. They left the entrance uncovered and ran within, hoping against hope that they wouldn't be found out.

...o0o...

Asagao had managed to put out the flames on her hair, but it left her scalp and a part of her brow severely burned. That priestess will pay...but no matter, they would be dead sooner or later. She hurried down the corridors to anticipate the arrival of Karatake's minions. They found her before she found them.

"Where are they?" one of them interrogated in a raspy voice.

"They are still here," Asagao replied. "They can't have gotten far."

The minions glanced at each other, as though conferring on what to do. One of them nodded, and they all agreed. Something indeed has to be done first.

A dreadful scream left Asagao's mouth as a couple of the invaders dragged her to the wall. Her scream died as a spear was thrust through her throat, the same spear that delivered the message which opened the key to the besieging of the castle.

...o0o...

The floor of the dim corridor was of the sort that gave an echo off the narrow walls whenever someone steps on it. Neither of them would ever forget the haunting sound of footsteps as they ran in a single file towards the lone door at the end. Kikyou almost at once began forcing the door open, but it seemed to be part of the wall and wouldn't budge in any way. Umegae then said that force wasn't enough, and that only a member of the Royal Shikayoukai family can open it. She laid her hands flat against the door, but nothing seemed to happen.

Then they heard the dreaded sounds. Many footsteps...the smell of smoke...the minions are entering the palace and had set it on fire, as a lure to pull them out. Rin was close to screaming, and the sounds of footsteps were drawing closer. They must be many to be able to overrun the fortress at such a short moment...

Just when Kikyou thought that their enemies would emerge at the end of the long corridor, the door beneath Umegae's hands disappeared as though it had never been. Once they were all inside, the door materialized once more, leaving them in the darkness. A damp smell prevailed in every corner, and further down, they can hear the sound of rushing water.

"That's the Shiroitaki tunneling within the rock," Umegae whispered. Even then, her soft voice echoed off the ceilings and her words rang as though she had shouted them out. "From here we can find the way out."

Progress was agonizingly slow. The cave was pitch-black, and even with Umegae's help in guiding them along the slippery descent, the two humans can hardly pick a definite way through the blackness. Finally, not without a few scrapes and tumbles, they saw the daylight streaming through the wide opening where the White Waterfall tumbled down into the crags below.

Kikyou was about to go to the opening where the water fell, but Umegae put a restraining hand on her shoulder, saying, "It's a sheer drop there. We have to go this way." She motioned to another passageway snaking deeper into the network of caverns.

"Kikyou-sama, the water is stopping!" Rin exclaimed, pointing at the tumble of the Shiroitaki. The waters were beginning to slow, until finally it was but a trickle.

Umegae was alarmed. "Our enemies are trying to stop the fall of the Shiroitaki from above, presumably to see if they can catch us here," she said hastily, motioning them back into the cave. "Foolish of them to do; the waters are swollen and they cannot stop it for long..."

True enough, from where the water flowed there soon came the cries of the undead minions. They were following the path of the White Waterfall. Upon seeing the fleeing women, they immediately charged, their bamboo spears raised in attack.

Kikyou, by instinct, handed Yanagi over to her mother and grabbed her bow from Rin. Fishing out an arrow from her quiver, she shot a hamaya at the oncoming demons, decimating many with the mere attack. The minions drew back at the power of the former Priestess, and Kikyou drew another arrow to fire at them. The arrows of her quiver began to lessen and lessen in number as the masses of their enemies didn't seem to dissipate. Kikyou had a full quiver before the attack, but now she only had a handful of arrows. Their adversaries happened to understand the situation and they began to close in on them.

'Will there be no end to these numbers?' she cursed slightly to herself. She knew she mustn't empty her quiver now; they still have to flee and she needed weapons. She found herself calling out to her mother-in-law in her mind. 'Lady Hanazuki!'

Out of the blue, a flash of memory hit her. Hanazuki's knife. The one Sesshoumaru had given her. She wasn't sure how such a feeble-looking blade can save them now, but Kikyou immediately reached within her sleeve and pulled out the knife.

'Please help me...'

She had fully drawn the _tsuki_ _no kakera_ from its leather sheath when the demons nearest to her dropped to the ground motionless. They were dead. The others recoiled in fear, recognizing the aura of the knife. Kikyou was prepared to run into their ranks to destroy them without having to even touch them, but she didn't need to. A deep rumble began to shake the cave, frightening even the minions themselves.

"Grab on to something!" Umegae cried, clutching Yanagi close to her chest and holding on to a column of rock. No sooner had she said the command when the Shiroitaki came a-tumbling down with twice its normal force, furious at being held back.

The rushing current swept away the undead, but it also wrenched Rin from Kikyou's grasp. The little girl would have been lost if not for the quick instincts of Umegae, who immediately touched a nearby vine climbing the wall of the cave. At her touch, the plant grew to a great mass which sprang to intercept Rin from the current. Just a few seconds of delay, and Rin would have tumbled down to the foaming Greater Minorikawa without a hope of making it out alive.

But even as Kikyou and Umegae were able to pull Rin to safety, the wrath of the Shiroitaki wasn't quite finished yet. The roof of the caverns leading back to the Fortress and to the proposed escape route collapsed, effectively blocking the passages with crumbled rocks.

Kikyou cautiously walked towards the blocked passages, avoiding the banks of the Shiroitaki lest another surge of water carry her away. She surveyed them carefully, searching for a possible way out, but she knew it was hopeless. They had to find another way. And the only other unblocked opening was the mouth of the cave, where the White Waterfall tumbled down to the Greater Minorikawa great dragon-heights below.

The raven-haired woman made her way back to Rin and her other companions, and she despaired to see Umegae pale and in pain. The bleeding on her shoulder hadn't ceased. Gently, Kikyou pulled her robe away from the wound and was shocked to see the corners of the gash assuming a sickening color of purple and green. It was poison, no doubt. But what?

"Please hold Yanagi for a while, Rin-chan," Kikyou whispered to Rin, who immediately obeyed and began to cuddle the baby close, wrapping the blanket warmly about her. "Umegae, do you think these will help?" She had returned the sheathed knife back to her sleeve and had pulled out the packet of dried herbs which Umegae said can dull the pain of any wound.

Umegae managed to smile slightly. "Perhaps," she gasped. "I am glad you remembered what I said..."

Kikyou placed a finger over her lips to silence her and she began to staunch the wound with several of the leaves. They had no other alternative for now, but she hoped that as soon as they reach the forest they can run across some of the proper herbs.

After a few minutes, Umegae claimed that she felt a little bit better. She gratefully took her baby from Rin and they gazed out to the mouth of the cave. That was the only way out.

"It won't be long before our enemies send fortifications to capture us here," Umegae said. "We have no choice but to descend by the mouth of the Shiroitaki."

"But you said it's a sheer drop down there," Kikyou said.

"The plants will listen to me," Umegae said, walking further to the entrance of the cave. At the lip of the cliff were vines similar to the one she had touched earlier to retrieve Rin. She bent down and muttered a few incoherent words to the plants whilst gently touching them, and at her touch they began to grow. Their stalks thickened until they were about as thick as a human torso, and they lengthened and split until they formed a rough ladder leading to another ledge in the hill. From this ledge, they were free to descend the hill. That is, if they can avoid their enemy.

But at present, they had no better choice. Umegae tied the shawl on which she cradled Yanagi around her neck, leaving her daughter cradled securely on her chest. With it, she held on to the vines and began to descend to the ledge. Rin and Kikyou followed, no less scared.

It was hard not to pay attention to the swirling mist around them, or to the great many meters they have to drop should they lose their grip. There were several points in the descent when they thought they couldn't make it, but when finally they touched down on firm ground again, they couldn't help but breathe sighs of relief. Umegae loosened the grip of the vine on to the ledge, letting the tendrils dangle down the rock face so as to make sure they wouldn't be followed.

As she was doing this, Rin happened to look up. The ledge housing the fortress was about twenty meters above them, and from their view they saw thick smoke and heard the crackling of fire. It was not only the fortress that was on fire; Karatake's minions had also set fire to the forest. Now they had to flee from the flames too.

Kikyou could not help but be disappointed over the burning of the Fortress of the Shikayoukai. It had been her home for the past days, and as she thought of all the priceless relics turning to ash, she knew that it was a wonder lost to the world forever.

"It's only a building," Umegae said, placing a hand on Kikyou's shoulder. Her face was tired from their exertions, but she was still smiling. "We'll rebuild it once this war is over. The Spirit of the Deer doesn't need a palace to live. As long as there's a Deer Demon alive, there is hope..."

...o0o...

And so they fled, the little band of refugees from the besieged Fortress of the Shikayoukai. They barely spoke as they plodded their way through the muddy forest, driven on by the fear of their enemies pursuing them. It was already late in the afternoon by the time they had fully descended the slopes of the hill of the Shiroitaki, and by then it had been hours of dangerous trekking, and cruel rain.

It was to their despair that the rain, which had been holding itself back for the whole morning, fell down to earth just as they had started their descent of the hill. But they were not as drenched as Kikyou anticipated they would be. The thick forests provided enough shelter to keep the worst of the raindrops from hitting them.

They couldn't trek ceaselessly, of course. Umegae's strength was greatly depleted by the continued bleeding on her shoulder, and they had to stop to rest many times unless they want Kikyou to miscarry. Umegae was more worried for Kikyou than she was for herself. Nausea was taking its toll on Kikyou, and she had forced herself to hold up until they were free of the Shiroitaki hill, but now she slumped helplessly at the roots of a tree and began to vomit.

Umegae gently righted Kikyou's position and made her lean against the tree whilst Rin fanned fresh air to Kikyou's face with a makeshift fan out of several large leaves. Yanagi began to squirm, and Umegae had to temporarily leave Kikyou's assistance to attend to her own daughter. Kikyou, her head still spinning, asked what was wrong. The rain had stopped, leaving traces of wispy fog on the ground.

"Don't worry, Kikyou," was the answer. "She's just doing what babies do. Oh my, _that's_ what I forgot to bring in our haste...a change of underwear for Yanagi..."

Rin and Kikyou managed to laugh at Umegae's little joke. How she managed to say a good joke at a time like this, they don't know. Umegae managed to salvage a piece of the blanket they used to wrap around her baby and use it to replace the soiled garment. Well, they couldn't really leave traces of their passing behind, so they buried the offending cloths beneath the ground.

But as for keeping her daughter warm Umegae could not quite find a better alternative to the damp shell-and-wave shawl she had. They were all wet from the rain, even a full youkai baby such as Yanagi will not last long if she was exposed to extreme cold for long. Finally, Kikyou asked Rin to hand over her quiver. To her relief, she was able to pull out an intact robe. The bellflower-patterned robe, her favorite, was not that damp from the rain because the feathers of her remaining arrows had acted like a rough umbrella.

"You have no idea how grateful I am," Umegae said to Kikyou as she wrapped the blue robe around her baby. "How can I ever repay you?"

"There is no need," Kikyou replied with a smile, equally thankful that she had chosen to bring the robe along tucked in her quiver.

They huddled close to one another to catch their breaths. Umegae had taken the time to breastfeed her child. Yanagi slept peacefully now, which was a blessing. They had a difficult time quieting her during their descent and it wouldn't do to attract the enemy's attention by a baby's cries.

"Is everyone all right?" Kikyou asked, looking closely at her companions.

"I'm as fine as I can be, Kikyou-sama!" Rin replied in an effort to cheer up her foster mother. But Kikyou knew better. The little girl was severely tired, but her fortitude was extraordinary. She spoke not a word of complained throughout their flight aside from whimpering slightly to herself. Kikyou would have carried her if not she already had a living load in her womb.

"We ought to check on your child," Umegae said softly. Looking up at Kikyou for permission, she carefully ran her healer's hands over Kikyou's belly. They breathed in relief to hear that Umegae can feel no breaks or suspicious bumps whatsoever. "The little one has a very good hold, I must say."

"I just hope he can hold on a little bit longer," Kikyou breathed, patting her womb affectionately. Though it was not normally enjoyable to feel one being kicked from within, Kikyou was grateful to feel the life within her belly still stirring and drawing breath even after the exhausting flight. She was terribly worried that she would lose her child.

"I presume hanyou children have a good strong grip on their mothers," Umegae replied with a wink. Kikyou looked at her, and she can see that amidst the smiling face her skin was flushed, and her breathing was shallower than usual.

"Hasn't the bleeding stopped yet?" Kikyou asked, worried. One of her hands gently inspected the Queen's wound, and she can hardly keep from flinching to feel that the blood was still fresh.

"Oh no, I am fine, really," Umegae said to somehow appease Kikyou's worried spirits. "I might just need another of the pain relieving herbs. Their effect is already wearing off, but otherwise I am all right." She looked up at the canopy of the towering tree above them. They sky was darkening, and the rumble of distant thunder could be heard. The spaces between the roots were wide to accommodate the great height, so wide that all four of them can fit on the space between two roots without effort.

"Others of my kind must have gone to search for us," Umegae muttered. "The burning on the hill of the Shiroitaki will have alarmed them."

"But our enemy's minions will not allow them to reach us first," Kikyou said. She didn't mean to be pessimistic, but her mind was already as foggy as their surroundings.

"If they don't, I am sure Isamu will."

It was the first time she spoke of Isamu that day. They were so hungry, tired and muddy from their trek that they barely had time to think of their respective mates. Kikyou can see that her companion's eyes were growing misty at the thought of her mate, and her heart reached out to Umegae. But are their hopes of being rescued high? Had the word of their trouble reached their husbands yet? It seems very unlikely. The thought itself was enough to make tears spring up to Kikyou's eyes.

Although Kikyou hardly dared to hope, she replied, "I am sure he will. Or Sesshoumaru, at least."

"They shall come for us, Kikyou-sama, Umegae-sama," Rin added, snuggling up between the two warm bodies of the older women. In a short time, they all fell asleep.

...o0o...

Isamu and the several soldiers he had taken with him reached the Fortress just in time to find it burned to ashes on the ground. It was already daybreak, and several other deer youkai had come to the scene, alarmed at the smoke that arose from the hill where the home of their Royal Family stood.

"We found the charred remains of a deer youkai among the rubble," one of them said to Isamu. "But we could find no other bodies."

Isamu was dreadfully afraid that the youkai body would be that of his wife, and though he felt rather sad to find out that it was Umegae's lady-in-waiting who was overcome by flames, he was certainly relieved that neither Umegae and Yanagi nor Kikyou and Rin perished in the fire. But as they surveyed the damage done, it was clear that the moat was breached first and the water caused to leak out to further guarantee the success of the flames. Apart from Isamu and Umegae, there was only one other person among the shikayoukai who knew of this weakness...

Could Asagao have done it? Isamu frowned. The deer demoness was dead. Even if she did, there was nothing they could do now. They have to find his mate and the humans, and not the least his daughter...

Numerous undead minions suddenly sprang up from the most unlikely places, taking the company of shikayoukai by surprise. Severely outnumbered, Isamu's men fought valiantly but they found themselves being torn apart by the very beings they were struggling hard to fight. Isamu soon found himself cornered to the lip of the cliff, with the roaring Shiroitaki meters beneath his feet.

'I won't let myself be killed by you!' Isamu thought to himself as his mind began to make hasty calculations. There was a very little chance that he would survive the fall down the thundering waterfall, but it was certainly more possible to survive there than in the hands of these crazed minions.

Isamu turned and leaped into the air with the grace of a deer. He was conscious of the cold spray of the Shiroitaki as he began to descend faster and faster. He was so anticipating the painful feel of his body plummeting on the water below and the possibility of being crushed against the rocks that when a flurry of feathers flew by and bore him up from the fall, he was in a daze.

"Well, Lord Isamu, I didn't know you had such suicidal thoughts locked in that mind of yours, but I am here to help you. I am sure your wife and Kikyou-sama are out there."

It was Mizutori.

...o0o...

They awoke very early the next morning. Or rather, they were woken awake. Kikyou had felt the nearing presence of the undead minions, and she wasted no time in rousing her companions. Her heart fell to see that Umegae's condition had worsened. The young demoness can hardly keep her eyes open, and her skin was already turning gray. Angry red lines were beginning to spread to her neck and arm from the wound. The poison was beginning to take effect.

"Leave me here," Umegae said, her words slurring. "Take Yanagi and leave. This is the end of the road for me...please take care of my daughter."

"Don't say that!" Kikyou said desperately. She had to do something fast; their pursuers were coming. She gently took Yanagi from Umegae and gave her to Rin. She also entrusted her bow and quiver to the little girl. Then, to the total risk of her own unborn child, Kikyou wrapped Umegae's weak arms around her shoulders and hoisted the Shikayoukai Queen on her back. Carrying Umegae by her legs, which were wrapped around the former miko's waist, Kikyou painfully began to half-walk, half-run through the slippery forest floor followed by Rin and Yanagi close behind.

Many times, she had to pause and recover her breath from carrying Umegae, but Kikyou set her jaw and went on. Thick drops of sweat covered her face, making clumps on her bangs. Rin was panting from her exertions. Yanagi was starting to wail in the earnest, and not even Rin's most caring caresses could make her quiet. Kikyou felt her temples throbbing; she felt as though the entire world was pulling her down, but she mustn't fail... They mustn't be captured.

Kikyou thought she had lost all sense of direction. She ran almost blindly, many times falling and bruising her cheeks on some tree root, but no matter how fast, or how far she and Rin ran, it seemed to them that their enemy was surrounding them. She felt so weak; her vision was blurring. She saw faces...many faces. Sesshoumaru... Lady Hanazuki... _Kikumo..._

Kikyou's knees gave way, and they found themselves at the banks of the roaring Minorikawa. Rin ran up to her, collapsing to her knees beside the former priestess. Kikyou's muddled-up mind can barely think up of a solution on how they were going to overcome this dead end. The Minorikawa's current was like a stampede of a hundred horses, and the river was wider than the height of the trees of the forest. But if they managed to cross it...it could offer them some brief respite from those following them.

Umegae stirred, and Kikyou's consciousness returned. Umegae wanted to get off her back, but Kikyou wouldn't hear of it.

"You are too weak..." Kikyou tried to say, but Umegae stubbornly shook her head. Her deer ears twitched at the clear sound of the minions' footfalls, and her mind was set. She would ferry them across the river in her deer form.

The water was like ice, but Umegae bravely entered the raging current once Kikyou, Rin and Yanagi were on her back. She managed to swim as such that she kept her charges' torsos out of the freezing water, but how long she can manage it, she doesn't know. Masses of undead began to emerge from the trees; many of them went in the water after her, but they were immediately carried downstream.

"You can do it, Umegae-sama!" Rin urged her on, carrying the still screaming Yanagi in her arms. Umegae let the child's statement fuel her will; the crying of her only daughter told her she must keep going. Kikyou was barely holding on; her eyes were beginning to go out of focus, but she struggled to stay awake. The current pushed against them violently; the winds screamed above them, as though entire nature had gone mad.

By now, they were halfway through the river. A broken log went splashing their way, and Umegae strained every muscle on her deer form to swim out of its way. At one point, the water had gone so deep the waters reached up to their shoulders, with Kikyou assisting Rin in holding Yanagi out of the water's way. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of crossing, Umegae's hooves touched the opposite bank of the river. Once Kikyou, Rin and Yanagi had climbed off her back, she resumed her human form and fell on the ground, out for the count.

Kikyou and Rin were beside the unconscious demoness at once, but in the blink of an eye, several youkai-possessed human corpses appeared around the water's edge. They were cornered.

Kikyou's hand was reaching into her sleeve for Hanazuki's knife, but she felt as though she hadn't the strength to do it. She was exhausted; her senses were even in more tumbled disarray than her hair. Was it the end for them?

"Kikyou-sama, Yanagi had stopped breathing!" Rin's frantic cry brought Kikyou to life once again. She hurriedly took the baby's bundle from Rin and she tried desperately to make the little child breathe again. Did she suffer from the cold? Did something clog at her throat? She mustn't die... Yanagi mustn't die... _Umegae_ _mustn't die..._

They were so caught up with worry for the child; they hardly noticed that they were being surrounded by a white light, rapidly spinning. Their undead enemies screeched as they were cut to pieces by the thing in the light, and the faint bitter scent of chrysanthemums reached Kikyou's nose as the light cleared. To her utter surprise, just as the bright thing vanished, Yanagi's previously closed eyes shot open and a renewed cry came out of her mouth. She was alive! Kikyou cried out herself, of relief that the baby was alive, and hugged her close to her chest like she would her own child.

"Kikyou-sama!" Isamu's voice broke through their musings. Kikyou looked up and saw the great form of Mizutori descending from the sky, and Isamu jumping off her back to rush to them. A worried note of exclamation left his lips as he crouched beside his unconscious wife's form and embraced her close. Kikyou silently watched this touching scene, while at the same time reminiscing about the times when she faced similar situations and Sesshoumaru reacted just the same. Speaking of...where was he?

"I am very glad to see you alive, Kikyou-sama," Isamu told Kikyou as he carried Umegae in his arms. Noticing that Kikyou was clutching Yanagi close, his eyes softened and he bowed low to her. "I am forever grateful to you for taking care of my little daughter. Sesshoumaru-sama is still in battle, but you have my word that he's all right. He is extremely worried about you, and it is great news to find out that you and Rin-chan are safe!"

"We have to fly, Isamu!" Mizutori called out, noticing that their enemies are gathering. "Take them to my back and I will get you somewhere safe!"

Isamu nodded and led Kikyou and Rin to the bird demon. He sat at the very front, carrying Umegae close to him. Rin, carrying Yanagi, sat between him and Kikyou, who had slung her bow and quiver on her back. Mizutori took off, making the approaching minions scream and draw back in alarm. Once they were clear up in the sky, Isamu asked a question that puzzled Rin and Kikyou.

"Who was that other person with you?"

"Other person, Isamu-sama?" Rin had repeated quizzically. "It's only Kikyou-sama, Umegae-sama, Yanagi and Rin right there..."

Isamu appeared to be every bit as baffled. Shrugging, he said, "Mizutori heard a baby's cry. I was positive it was Yanagi, and we were able to see you just in time crossing the Minorikawa. I could not have been more proud and worried for my Umegae... But as we drew nearer, there was another person...standing between you and the undead... defending you from the incoming enemies."

"We had no other companions," Kikyou said softly. She recalled the light...the scent of the chrysanthemums...it couldn't be...

"The person looked female," Isamu continued. "I would have thought it was Umegae, if not for the fawn hair and the naginata. But once Mizutori touched down, she disappeared. I have a feeling I had seen that face, those emerald eyes somewhere, but I don't know..."

Isamu's words began to slur in Kikyou's ear, but she got the message. She unconsciously smiled. How it happened, she didn't know, but it could only be Kikumo. It could only be her.

Mizutori lurched suddenly, and Rin let out a scream. It was a flying demon, the shape of a large raven, cutting through their way. Mizutori snapped her sharp beak in defiance, but the raven demon wasn't intimidated. It blocked their path, the red eyes fixing a dangerous glare at them. No matter how hard Mizutori tried, she could not make their unwanted escort leave. Isamu readied his naginata.

"This is going to be a rough ride," Mizutori warned as she abruptly changed direction. The dark bird began to follow them, and Mizutori put on more speed. She had intended to take them back to her pond where they can be at least safe for the time being, but the raven had certainly gotten on the way. She has to throw it off, but where? Mizutori's eyes caught sight of the steady mist rising further north. It might confuse their attacker, but it was easy to get lost in the fog as well...

The raven approached far nearer, close enough for Isamu to lash out with his weapon and draw blood from the foot of the demon bird. Mizutori's mind was set at once. She flew straight at the mist.

The ruse of the fog worked at once, and the raven immediately was lost in the steady mass of grey. Now the only problem is how to get back...

"Kikyou-sama!" Rin screamed. Kikyou appeared to be loosening her hold on the little girl, and was starting to slip backwards. She had finally surrendered to the dizziness that had long been assailing her senses; she was blind and deaf to anything around her. She was falling...falling towards oblivion.

Rin tried to grab Kikyou's hand, but her arms carried Yanagi and were of no help. Isamu turned abruptly, but not quickly enough to be able to grab Kikyou safely. She had slipped too far to be in the reach of his fingers, and before Mizutori can react, Kikyou had fallen down to the grayness below, the mists hiding all traces the woman who had just passed through them.

...o0o...

Now that was LONG! O.O What do you think will happen to Kiky? Will our cute Tailwaggy couple see each other again? And do you think it's too much of a coincidence that Kikumo appears and Yanagi sort of 'passes away' and she 'returns to life' when Kikumo disappears? ;P

**The East Wind Melts the Ice:** Hehe, Asagao's dead. (YEAH MEN!) And by Kikumo being with Kiky, I think I meant it both. But the real answer is to come near the end of the fic.

**Brit:** Thank you! ;) I hope you liked this chapter!

**Azn kawaii kikyo the devil:** Aaaw, thank you so much.

**Aya.Chaos:** Honestly, I myself don't know much about hanyou/youkai birth or gestation. :P It's not exactly a thing you could Google or buy out of bookstores, so I had to rely much on my imagination. The babies in my stories retain the nine-month-long pregnancy of humans. (One of my readers even suggested that I make it ten months or longer. O.O)

**Cold Kikyo:** Ummm, not really the hair stick, but it COULD BE, come to thinkof it. That hair stick will be of great use to Kiky in the later chapters.

**Gossamer Wind:** Ummmmmmmm, it COULDalso be indirectly through Umegae, but that's not exactly what I was trying to say. ;P

**astrea:** Expect really more updates soon! ;P


	17. Chapter 16: Return to the Tsukisawa

**XVI: Return to the Tsukisawa**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **My schedule is chasing me even faster than Karatake's minions are chasing Kiky! -.- I have set a deadline for my story, so if I don't resort to updating everyday, I might either merge several chapters in one or there will be a one-week interval per chapter. So sorry, but in my country, school is already close to starting and I can hardly write anything once I get back to the dorm. T.T

...o0o...

"Kikyou-sama!" Isamu called out helplessly while squinting his eyes, trying in vain to catch a glimpse of the former priestess where she fell in the murky nothingness below. But there was nothing to see. Wherever he looked, his coal-black eyes met the same sight of formless sheets of grey mist.

After giving a tearful Rin several words of assurance that they will find Kikyou, Isamu turned hastily to Mizutori.

"Get down, Mizutori, get down!" he said, pointing on the seemingly infinite murk below.

"I _am _going down!" Mizutori retorted in the same worried and impatient tone, the desperation in their situation causing the heron-like demoness to abandon all sense of formality. "Didn't you think I saw Kikyou-sama falling down below?"

Even if Mizutori claimed they were descending, their surroundings still remained as bleak and featureless as before. There was practically no sense of direction, as though an enchantment prevailed every inch of the place. They can find no traces of the landmarks of the Borderlands, let alone the young woman who had disappeared in the inescapable fog.

"What is this place, Isamu-sama?" Rin asked, tears flowing freely from her chocolate brown eyes as she hugged the bundle of Yanagi closer to her. "I am scared."

"There, there my child," Isamu said soothingly, shifting slightly to wipe the tears from the little girl's eyes. "We will find Kikyou-sama and we will get out of this place in no time."

Rin nodded, biting her lips in worry. She called out Kikyou's name, looking down below whilst making sure that she still remained aloft in Mizutori's back. Isamu, holding a still unconscious Umegae in his embrace, was doing the same. Mizutori would have joined them in their futile attempts in calling Kikyou and hoping she will answer, but speaking would further tire her out.

She had been flying for most of the past hours, and she would have to land sooner or later even if Isamu hadn't ordered her to do so. All that she could do was to scan the almost bottomless fog beneath with her sharp eyes, to find out how far they were from the ground...as well as to find Kikyou.

Descending down the layers of mist was gradual, for Mizutori wasn't to take any chances of hurting herself or any of her charges by plummeting to the unpredictable ground at full speed. Besides, neither of them was sure how far they were flying above the land, and to Rin it felt as though they were in the uncharted regions of the skies farther even than the stars.

Thus, they were more than relieved when Isamu caught sight of the branches of a barren tree appearing out of the mist. Finally, they were back on firm ground...which as though to mock them, wasn't firm at all.

"Quicksand!" came Mizutori's frantic scream. She had not even landed for a few seconds when the soil beneath her feet began to suck them in...suck them into a slow death.

Isamu's quick reflexes once more came into play. One of his hands reached out to grab a branch of the nearby tree, but the branch snapped between his fingers, the remains disintegrating into damp dust on his palms. Undaunted, he stretched and grabbed another. This time, the bough held.

Hooking his naginata securely among the branches, he held on to the long handle of his weapon whilst guiding Rin with Yanagi in her arms to climb up the dead tree. Then, as swiftly as he can, the Lord of the Shikayoukai carried his unconscious wife in his arms and leaped to one of the stronger branches, gently laying Umegae against the trunk. She stirred then, her emerald eyes fluttering open.

"Wh-what happened?" she muttered, but there was no mistake about the sudden joy that appeared in her eyes to see her own husband looking at her lovingly.

"Help, help!" Mizutori screeched. By now she was up to her chest in mud, and she was making a great sound as she flapped her wings above the quicksand in an effort to get herself out.

Isamu and Umegae at once turned to come to the bird demon's help.

"Don't make any major movements or you'll sink even faster!" Isamu said, grabbing hold of Mizutori's left wing. "You'll never get out of that mud yourself. We'll pull you out!"

Umegae, though weak, determinedly reached out and held Mizutori's other wing whilst getting a good grip on the tree itself. At Isamu's orders, they proceeded to get her out of the quicksand in well-coordinated pulls. They managed to get Mizutori out until her knees, but suddenly Umegae loosened her grip and Mizutori was up to her neck in mud.

Thankfully, this time they had extra help. Rin had taken it to herself to tie Yanagi's bundle like a sling around her neck and she courageously got hold of Mizutori on the neck, but not in a choking grip, take note. It was the only part of the bird demon that she could reach at that time, but Mizutori appears not to mind if they pulled her by tail if it means that she will be taken out of the deadly bogs.

After whispering a hurried apology, Umegae once again held on to Mizutori's wing and they resumed the pulling.

Finally, after not a few moments of coordinating pulling and instructions from Isamu, Mizutori was able to perch on one of the branches and shake the worst of the mud out of her feathers. Isamu, Rin and Umegae collapsed against the tree trunk, breathing heavily from their exertions.

"You have no idea how grateful I am to you for saving my life," Mizutori said, bowing her crested head in their direction.

"Don't think much about it," Isamu said, still panting. "We still have to find Kikyou-sama... I gave my vow to Sesshoumaru-sama that she will be safe... I really hope she didn't land on a place like this..."

...o0o...

Kikyou was barely conscious of the feel of her long raven hair whipping against her face or the cloth of her robes flapping on her skin as she fell headfirst on the mist. But when the happenings finally came to her senses, she frantically summoned up her miko powers to break her fall...in the nick of time too, for she was only a few meters from the soggy soil. But even then, she could hardly grasp her powers at all, and the ground about her let out a loud _splat_ as she fell with much harder force than she would have liked.

For a long time, Kikyou lay sprawled on her back in the limbo world, her mahogany eyes blankly staring up at the changeless sky. She was exhausted; she was dizzy. She was disoriented... How long was it since they fled the Fortress of the Shikayoukai? Time was nonexistent; she had no idea where she was or what time of the day it was.

Was she still alive? Her body felt so cold, and covered in needles that caused a tingling sensation of pain to surge rhythmically through her muscles. Yes, she was alive. She still felt physical pain; she still had a body. But if she still had control over that body, she wasn't sure. She wasn't sure of anything any longer...

She blinked once. She blinked another time. All that she was conscious of, aside from the dull pain spreading all over her body, was the fear...and a longing. She was aware of those...things. Things, evil things... They pursued her from the edge of a black nightmare, and she was running from them. She didn't know why; she didn't care. She just had to run.

A dreadful sound made its way to Kikyou's ears. She might have only imagined it, but she was too frightened to even make a second choice. It was the sound of rapidly flapping wings. Flapping wings! Yes, that was part of the nightmare! Of being borne aloft those wings, to be carried in the high winds that tore at her body and spirit, shaking her soul to its very core...she had to run. She _felt _that she had to run...

Kikyou had not the strength to run. Her body was numb, but fear was like an electric shock that forced her to move. Like a wretched child, she began to crawl. Her fingers grabbed frantically at whatever they touched. A clump of dead grass...a lump of muddy soil, it doesn't matter what! She wanted to get away! She had to escape..._she had to escape..._

She wanted to scream, but she felt as though she no longer had a voice. Fright had taken away her ability to speak, and all that she could do was let out a couple of bleats that was soon drowned by her tears. The sound of thrashing wings had stopped, but Kikyou continued to flee, driven on by the inarticulate emotions from within her.

Kikyou stopped crawling after what seemed like an eternity, panting from her exertions. Her hair was a mess; mud dripped from her face; her clothes were soiled as though she had buried herself under the ground. Her cheek rested against the mud as her shaking hand shot out and fell on the wet soil in front of her.

Her hand clutched at something. She stopped. Gradually, she opened her hand to see whatever she had retrieved from the barren ground.

It was a dead lizard, its eyes bulging out of bloody sockets and its putrid tongue fell out of its mouth as she clutched at it. Poor Kikyou was so frightened by the sight that she threw the dead thing as far as she can and she began to crawl once again. This time, she hardly seemed to crawl at all. She appeared to be pulling her body forward using the meager strength of her hands, as though her legs had refused to function.

Finally, she lay still on the ground, the last traces of her strength leaving her body. Her tears served little to wash away the filth on her face. She beat hopelessly and weakly at the soil with her fists, all dignity forgotten. The image of a young man's willowy form flashed across her eyes. It must only be a mirage conjured by her energy-starved mind, but she weakly reached out to him with the silver hair and amber eyes.

"Sesshoumaru..." she whispered, her voice coming out like a squeak.

Her mate's form faded into a blur, and she saw no more. She did not stir even as several serpentine bodies wrapped their bodies around her and bore her away.

...o0o...

In the dark stretch of forest of the Western Lands, Sesshoumaru frowned slightly. He stopped in his tracks before he could help himself, causing Jaken to wonder.

"Anything wrong, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

The Lord of the Western Lands stood as though in a trance for a while, but he soon shook his head with an answer, "Nothing, Jaken."

He had just received a disturbing mental image of his wife, lying in a deserted misty land, weak and utterly alone. He almost reached out to her as she cried out to him, but in the blink of an eye he was back in the forest once again. The images looked awfully real, as though he could indeed feel a cold mist rubbing against his face, as though he can smell the decaying odor of the soil, as though...

Sesshoumaru shook his musings away. He had been experiencing a good number of visions the past hours, and not few of them were about Kikyou. They might have only been spawned by his yearning of her, and it wouldn't do good to be swayed by them.

...o0o...

"I am sure I heard something from here," Umegae said stubbornly, ignoring her companion's requests that she slow down. "I am _sure _I-"

"We _know_ you _indeed_ heard a sound of bleating, koi," Isamu replied, trying to quell his wife's worry, though in truth, he was very worried himself. "But if you worsen that wound of yours or get swallowed in a bog, we would not progress in finding Kikyou-sama either."

Umegae bit her lip but allowed her husband to come first, prodding the ground carefully with his naginata to test its toughness. Since their encounter with the quicksand earlier, they regarded the land with much suspicion, and though none of them said it openly, their chances of finding Kikyou and getting themselves out of the misty cage were slim. But they had to try.

Mizutori, with Rin and Yanagi on her back, followed close behind. They had taken some time figuring out if they should leave their younger companions behind up the tree, but realizing that they might not be able to find their way back to them either, Isamu had decided to take them along. Mizutori had kindly consented to carry the little girls to spare them from the inconvenience of stepping on the marshy soil, but Umegae wouldn't give in to them when she and Isamu told her to ride with Rin and Yanagi.

"I can walk," she said repeatedly, and at her insistence her mate acquiesced. He had taken a good look at the stab wound she had received from (to his dismay and anger) her lady-in-waiting, Asagao. It was not the wound that nearly killed her, but the poison on the knife used. Judging from the look of the gash, Isamu recalled what his soldiers told him of the unknown substance the enemy minions used to poison the land and anything that dared to come their way.

None of the herbs in their knowledge was known to cure the poisoning, and many shikayoukai in the outskirts of the Borderlands had succumbed to the sickness and died. Although there were several survivors reported, their chances had been very slim and they remained weak for a good many days. The poison was of the sort that loses its deadliness in a day or two, but it was so potent that the victim was very likely to be dead before the effects disappear.

Umegae happened to be one of the lucky exceptions, escaping death when she was most likely to die. Isamu was very relieved to see that the wound on his wife's shoulder was beginning to heal, and that the angry red lines which were previously radiating from the gash had disappeared. She would bear the scar for her entire life, but the important thing was that she's on the road to recovery.

Supported by her husband's caring hand, Umegae stepped carefully across the boggy soil, pulling the hems of her robes out of the way. Not that she cared if her fine garments were ruined; there were more important matters at the moment, and she didn't care much for finery anyway. It was only a formality for the Royal family to dress more grandly than the commoner shikayoukai.

Isamu let out an excited exclamation. They all gathered around to look at what he had discovered.

_The blade of his naginata pointed to a bow. _

It was muddy and barely visible through all the grime, but it was a bow nonetheless. Could it be Kikyou's bow?

"That's Kikyou-sama's!" Rin exclaimed. Assured by her words, Isamu and Umegae fished the bow out of the mud and cleaned it the best they can. A further search revealed Kikyou's quiver, though they had a hard time picking out her arrows, which had spilled out in the squishy ground. Mizutori's long beak and was more than perfect for the job, and in a few minutes they gathered up several intact arrows littered around the small patch of land. Many of them were broken by the fall, but Isamu and Umegae kept them for Kikyou nonetheless.

Now that they had gathered up some telltale signs of Kikyou, they began to search for the former miko herself. The youkai all agreed that the heavy mist and the smell of rotten plants that hung around every corner made it difficult for them to trace Kikyou's scent. Not that it was already a challenge for them even if the weather was fine; neither Mizutori nor the shikayoukai had a sharp sense of smell as the inuyoukai. Isamu had no doubt that if Sesshoumaru was with them, he would have easily traced his wife's scent in no time.

Finally, they reached a spot on the ground with a hollow imprint on it. Series of other imprints led from the first one, in an irregular fashion dug deeply into the soil. Isamu judged that the marks were fresh, and that whoever made it probably left by crawling away, in a hurried way at that.

Umegae gasped; Kikyou must have survived her fall. They didn't know how, but the trail she left gave them an impression of an animal in pain struggling to escape its predator. Could Karatake's minions have found her here? They quickened their pace, at the same time making sure they still were on firm ground.

The prints stopped abruptly, baffling each one of them. Isamu and Umegae spent a long time trying to locate where Kikyou could have gone next, to no avail. The former priestess had vanished without a trace!

Defeated for the time being, Isamu sat on the muddy ground, hardly caring about the state of his garments. Umegae followed suit beside him, and Mizutori did the same in the fashion of herons before them. Umegae asked Rin to give her Yanagi, and the little girl obeyed without a word. Their moods were as gloomy as their surroundings.

"Do you think our enemies found her?" Umegae said worriedly, hugging her baby close to her. Isamu wrapped his arms around his wife and child. Rin was weeping quietly from Mizutori's back, so Isamu called to her and included her in his embrace.

"I hope not," he replied. "Honestly, I don't really think the minions found her. I haven't seen a trace of them anywhere."

"Those minions of Karatake's," Mizutori spat bitterly. "They could inflict so much damage far beyond what we think they can."

"What do you mean, Mizutori?" Umegae asked, wrapping Kikyou's robe more securely around Yanagi.

"I heard Sesshoumaru-sama mention our enemy by the name of Karatake," Isamu said. "But otherwise, he would tell me nothing of him."

Mizutori sighed. Visibility was very limited in their misty gray environment; they cannot see beyond the tight circle they made in the gloomy land.

"Those minions you have seen are probably the lowest...the weakest of Karatake's minions," Mizutori explained. "They are only made up of shadows. They cannot talk to other creatures aside from other beings of shadow like themselves and of course, their master Karatake. But they can understand words whenever they hear it spoken or see it written; thus they can make good spies.

However, as far as usefulness goes, in their true form as shadows they are practically of no use aside from spying the enemy lines. As beings of shadow, they cannot hold or grasp any object, and for that matter, they cannot wield weapons. They could not hurt any living creature directly. Nor could they channel fire or anything of the elements. Practically useless in the battlefield, indeed."

"So they possess corpses to be able to act like a living creature, then?" Isamu said.

"Indeed," Mizutori replied. "Such irony, to use a dead body to act alive... But that's their way, yes. They cannot take a living body, thank goodness. Or we would have to deal with a greater menace. But note this: if one destroys or considerably damages the host corpse of the shadow while it still resides in it, one gets to destroy the minion as well. Here's yet another weakness of theirs: they get so attached to the body if they're in it for more than five minutes. So they don't leave it even if death is unavoidable. Pretty stupid, if you ask of me."

"They may be stupid," Umegae said gravely. "But never underestimate the power of unintelligent beings in large groups."

"How true that is," Isamu added. "Sesshoumaru-sama and I had a difficult time subduing them because they were so many. An ant may look helpless alone, but they can certainly bring down a man if the entire colony swarmed." Then, he thought of something. "Which just made me think...why aren't Karatake's minions making use of poison as openly as they used to? Aside from the attack on Umegae, there hasn't been a case of such poisoning in a long while..."

"Why do I have a feeling that they're reserving it for the final blow?" Umegae said, adding her thoughts to the discussion.

"Maybe," Mizutori answered. "The things of shadow could not produce poison of their own, and thus they have to rely on another to provide it for them..."

"And who can that provider be?"

"Karatake himself, probably," she replied. Though in truth, she thought this was impossible as Karatake is still sealed. "Or better still, his descendants from the line of dragons. But they _can't _keep on giving their poison away, or they'll end up being weakened themselves. They probably won't use it until they really need it, as Umegae said."

The last statement made them all feel uncomfortable.

"We _really _have to find Kikyou-sama," Isamu said. "Afterwards, I have to go and tell this to Sesshoumaru-sama. I don't know how we can fight them once they unleash their poison..."

Rin, who had been silent and thoughtful all this time, suddenly made a remark.

"Rin wonders what time of the day it is now," she said thoughtfully, looking up at the blank sky. The mist was so thick that they cannot make out the position of the sun.

"I don't know, Rin-chan," Umegae answered with a sigh. "It could be noontime; it could even be near dusk. I just hope we find Kikyou soon so we can get out of here."

"Yanagi-chan seems so quiet..."

Umegae also began to notice the quietness of their only child, who only a day earlier was giving them a problem because of her unceasing cries. In the diffused light, she examined her daughter visually. She didn't notice anything peculiar, and she sincerely hoped that Yanagi wasn't hurt in any way that would give her lasting damage.

"Rin didn't tell you earlier, Umegae-sama," Rin continued, "but Yanagi-chan stopped breathing for some time when Umegae-sama was unconscious beside the river."

This last piece of news shocked Umegae and Isamu. They pressed Rin for details. How long was the lapse of breath? Was Yanagi's throat clogged? How did she manage to breathe again?

"Rin doesn't really know, Umegae-sama, Isamu-sama," Rin said, rather alarmed by their eyes on her. "We were being surrounded by a white light at that time...that's when Yanagi-chan stopped breathing. When the light disappeared, Yanagi-chan was back to normal."

Isamu and Umegae remained skeptical.

"Just that?" Umegae said, cradling her precious daughter closer and kissing her on the forehead. "The light came, Yanagi passed away for some time; the light went, Yanagi came to life..."

"We had a different view from above," Mizutori said suddenly. "You didn't appear to be surrounded by light. There was a woman with you, a demoness with a naginata."

Umegae was more confused than ever. Why ever did she lose consciousness at the wrong time?

"None of us carried a naginata that time," she said.

"Rin said that too," Rin added.

"Did you recognize the woman, Mizutori?" Isamu asked the bird demon.

"Yes," Mizutori replied, a mysterious look appearing in her sapphire eyes. "She is Kikumo. _Shikayoukai_ _no Hana:_ the Flower of the Deer Clan."

"Kikumo-oneesama!" Umegae exclaimed, her emerald eyes becoming as round as the moon in full. "But...it can't be!"

Isamu was no less perplexed. Now, he understood why those emerald eyes looked rather familiar, but did that have any connection to the mysterious happening with his daughter?

"Yanagi probably had a problem with her respiration that time," Isamu said, trying to offer a simple yet acceptable explanation. "It's common with babies her age-"

"_Human_ children, anata," Umegae countered. "Yanagi is a full-blooded youkai, and such events are rare among us."

"But it's still possible..."

"Well, that event has passed. Let us not be bothered by it," Umegae finally said, ending the matter for the moment. "At least Yanagi is still alive, and so are we. Now, we have to go and find Kikyou. I don't like this place." She spared her surroundings a worried glance.

"Hardly anyone ventures here," Isamu said. "I wouldn't be surprised if we were the first persons to get out of this place alive."

Mizutori heard these words and she smiled secretively to herself, but otherwise she commented not on his statements.

...o0o...

A delicate fragrance roused Kikyou, clearing her troubled thoughts and enveloping her being with the gentle touch of a mother's hands. She opened her eyes, and she was comforted by what she saw. Floating above her, gliding effortlessly in the mist, were shinidamachuu. And they were not just ordinary soul-catching demons; they were the warlike ones...they who lay in the command of Hanazuki.

The thought of her mother-in-law brought back to Kikyou all the memories of the past days, and she sat up. She raised an eyebrow to find out that she _could _sit up. Her body still felt a bit sore, but some of her strength had certainly returned.

A kick from within, and Kikyou found herself hugging her belly. She could almost swear that she can feel smaller hands hugging her back, and tears of joy made their way up to her eyes. She was alive; her baby was alive...and with it, her hope. Kikyou stood up and for the first time, she took in her surroundings. Did she really reach this place on her own, or did someone aid her? She couldn't remember.

Her surroundings were dark; it must be twilight. The only light came from the glow of the shinidamachuu's bodies and the blur of stars and crescent moon above. Kikyou's eyes widened as she looked up. The mist was still there, but it was undoubtedly thinner out here. And it certainly wasn't the terrible kind of mist. It was friendly, caressing...it accepted her, and she accepted it.

The soul-gatherers began to hover around her, gently nudging her forward with their slender bodies. They want her to go somewhere? Kikyou looked at their violet eyes, searching for the answer.

_**A shard of the moon  
O'er mist coming and going...**_

Slowly, she began to understand. A shinidamachuu wound its tail loosely about her wrist and urged her to walk on. She followed it, buoyed by assurances from the other soul-catchers.

_**A jewel of doom  
O'er water still, unmoving...**_

"_In the uncharted regions of the borders of the Western Lands, close to the realm where the Deer youkai live..."_

That's what Mizutori said.

"_I didn't entrust you to Isamu's people to look for the Jewel...don't go searching for the Mitsuseki, Kikyou."_

"I am so sorry, my Sesshoumaru," Kikyou muttered to herself, hearing his words repeating themselves in her mind.

_**O'er depths endless, a-waiting.**_

The Marsh of the Moon, hiding place to the Mitsuseki, would open only to the blood of Lady Suien. Kikyou was a human, but she carried Sesshoumaru's child inside her.

A strain of Suien's Moon Elemental blood flows within her veins as well, and the Tsukisawa was waiting for her.

...o0o...

Yay, things are getting better now! I have four more target chapters, plus one epilogue. Could be less, but that's the maximum. See you very soon in next chapter!

**WingedChunsa:** I really intended it to be that way. ;P Kiky will see the true potential of that hair stick in the later chapters. Aaaw, I'm sure everyone's got talent, it's just a matter of cultivating them. :)

**nekomata:** Thank you!

**Gossamer Wind:** Kikumo did not exactly possess Yanagi, but it's /close/ to possession. /wink/

**The East Wind Melts the Ice:** Thanks! And no, Umegae did not die, did she? ;P I don't want to kill her!

**Azn kawaii kikyo the devil:** The essence of tragedy, indeed... ;)

**Aya.Chaos:** FIVE MONTHS! O.O No way; that is way, way premature, but AU can practically go anywhere. Don't worry, I am not using 10 months. Poor Kiky will die. I will stick to the normal 9 months.

**Lady Fabmel:** Yeah, I love cliffhangers, hehe.

**Cold Kikyo:** You got it, yeah! You're the first person (through review) to have gotten the Kikumo-Yanagi connection. Keep it up!


	18. Chapter 17: Unfolding Secrets

**XVII: Unfolding Secrets**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **I am writing (or more precisely, typing) as fast as I can! Only a few more days before classes start...oh my, I really need to finish this story by the end of the week...

...o0o...

_A shard of the moon_

_O'er mist coming and going..._

The mists came and went, and the previously barren surroundings began to show signs of plant life. Lush grasses played at Kikyou's feet as the purple-eyed shinidamachuu floated above her. They led the wondering maiden towards a great sphere of light in the distance, which steadily brightened as she came closer. The indescribable fragrance, too, began to intensify with every step she took.

Kikyou breathed in the wonderful air deeply, feeling as though with every intake of breath, she was flying past the moon on a shower of stardust. There, Sesshoumaru was waiting for her, and it was heaven to be taken in his strong arms, to feel his lips pressed against hers...

The gentle pull of the soul-catching demon on her wrist drove her abruptly from her reverie. She blinked, and realization changed the color of her mahogany eyes. In the utter peacefulness of her surroundings, the troubles which she knew sooner or later she must face seemed so far away...

Strange-looking trees began to emerge in the mist. Kikyou stopped for a while to run her hands through their smooth, slender trunks. They were rather short; the tallest were only twice the height of an average man. On a closer look, Kikyou found out that the main trunk of the tree nearest to her was made up of smaller trunks wound together in a twisting fashion. Its soft leaves were long and shaped like swords, gathered in many clusters resembling pom-poms.

Kikyou stood for a while beneath the canopy of the tree, the far-off light and the mist combining to make a strange yet mesmerizing interplay of shadows to fall on her face. Then she noticed the fine network of roots, the snakelike tendrils protruding out from halfway down the trunk. She was surprised to realize that although there was a great deal of space between one tree and the other, their roots interwove and were interconnected, forming an impression that they shared the same roots.

The actions and nudging of the shinidamachuu eventually got her moving again. Even if Kikyou was reluctant to walk on, she forced herself to find a pathway among the lacing roots. It was rather difficult, for in their very intricacy the roots resembled one vast spreading brocade swathed with mist.

"Can't you carry me?" Kikyou chidingly asked the shinidamachuu as they hovered about her patiently. But she was smiling as she asked her question, for she meant it as a half-jest. She was savoring every moment in this misty wonderland; she even found the haunting aura of this strange forest rather beautiful. Besides, what gave her the right to command these soul-catchers? They were, after all, not her pets; they were the Lady Hanazuki's.

The image of the beautiful silver-eyed Demon Lady, the mother of her mate, floated over Kikyou's memory. What is the Tsukisawa like? Of course, she had seen many views of Hanazuki's birthplace in the memories replayed by Mizutori, but it would be a very different experience to be in it herself. Had the Marsh of the Moon changed with the passing of its guardian?

The gracefully winding roots began to dwindle beneath her feet, and Kikyou knew that she was nearing the edge of the forest. Soon, the network of roots disappeared altogether and the trees grew farther and farther apart. Kikyou noticed that with the thinning of the trees, her flying escorts began to lag behind her until finally they refused to go any farther.

A tiny vestige of fright entered Kikyou's heart. She was in an unknown territory, but she had felt somehow secure as long as her mother-in-law's shinidamachuu were with her. They cannot abandon her! She needed their help!

"I don't know what to do," Kikyou pleaded to them, clasping her hands over her chest. "Please, I must find the Tsukisawa, and I cannot go alone. You understand me, don't you? I need you to come with me."

The shinidamachuu cocked their heads to the side, the pair of black spines on the side of their cheeks twitching slightly.

"I _want _to help Sesshoumaru, your mistress' only son," she continued. "But I cannot recover the Mitsuseki without your help." Many pairs of violet eyes looked back unflinchingly at her, and Kikyou felt herself growing desperate.

"Please, I want to go home as soon as possible! I miss him, but I cannot leave without the Mitsuseki. I need to go into the Marsh of the Moon..."

Kikyou broke off, glistening beads of tears forming at the corner of her mahogany eyes. To her astonishment, one shinidamachuu broke off from its group and flew close to her face, rubbing its crested head gently against her cheek. She was suddenly made aware of an invisible barrier woven among the mist. Then, as though the action served its purpose, Kikyou's eyes widened in realization.

The purple-eyed shinidamachuu would have accompanied her, but even they were restricted from the Tsukisawa upon the death of their mistress. The barrier of Hanazuki would only let in those who carried her Moon Elemental blood, and the glowing demons did not appear to be part of them. Hopefully, this barrier will accept her.

"Do you seriously believe I can do this?" she asked of the little soul-catcher, raising one of her hands to tickle its chin. The youkai appeared to regard her with trust, and after briefly touching the former miko's hands with its claws, it returned to its brethren who were weaving in and out among the unusual trees.

Kikyou watched it go, and she sighed. Sesshoumaru was in battle. If she wasn't able to retrieve the Mitsuseki, she doubted anyone else can. With a flip of her flowing raven locks, she turned and walked into the inviting mist, illuminated by the moonlight and by an even brighter glow from beyond.

...o0o...

_A jewel of doom_

_O'er water still, unmoving..._

Had she been running blindly, Kikyou would not have noticed the gaping cliff hidden in the mist and she would have fallen yet again. Her steps slow and sure, Kikyou walked to the edge of the cliff and let the fog clear itself before her very eyes. She had penetrated the barrier; now what?

The steady mist parted, and Kikyou momentarily forgot to breathe.

Like the beauty of the moon revealed when dark clouds are lifted from its enigmatic face, the Tsukisawa lay spread in front of Kikyou, the blue waters pristine and undisturbed. The mist had receded well enough to give her a clear view of the moon in the heavens, in its last crescent before it loses its light for a day. She had come in the nick of time; had she been late for a day, the Tsukisawa would have turned into poison and they would have to wait for a longer time before the Waters become sweet again.

But the region at the very heart of the vast lake was still shrouded in white mist, bright with some kind of unearthly aura. The Mitsuseki must be there...

Kikyou searched the cliffs for a possible path of descent, and she saw that the crag gradually fell into a gentle slope a few meters to her right. If she descended this slope, reaching the banks of the lake would be no problem. The former priestess set her jaw and began to walk on her appointed path, determined to fulfill her duty to the very end.

As she descended the overhang, she began to recognize the landmarks she saw in the Inu no Taishou's memory. Those mountains in the distance...the cliffs ringing the lake, the pale-colored rock faces giving off a purplish glow where they touched the water...they had all looked magnificent in the mere flashback, and they were even more so in real life. The Tsukisawa, it seems, had retained its legendary beauty even if Suien had died long ago.

"If Sesshoumaru is only here to see all this grandeur with me..." she said, her thoughts slipping without her knowledge.

_No,_ her thoughts rephrased themselves on their own, _once this war is over, we will come here and see this beauty anew. I know it will be wonderful, for I will see all these with him... This time, it will not be for an obligation to Okaa-san...it will be for us..._

_For us..._

...o0o...

_O'er depths endless, a-waiting..._

Now that she had reached the grassy banks of the Tsukisawa, a new problem arose for Kikyou. She gazed at the delicate fringes of the floating _hanazuki_, wishing that they would lend her their ability to stay afloat on the water surface. How was she to get to the heart of the Marsh where she believed the Mitsuseki was?

The calm waters seemed to taunt her; they would not yield their secrets willingly. Should she swim? Even if Kikyou was the best swimmer in the whole world, she doubted if she would have managed to stay afloat _that_ long. She squinted at the light at the heart of the Tsukisawa; it was too far away for her own swimming prowess to take her. Besides, being with child, to swim in the cold bottomless waters was close to suicide...

If to swim was out of the options, how about...to _fly? _But how can she fly? None of her miko powers granted her the power of prolonged levitation...she needed her shinidamachuu. But if Hanazuki's shinidamachuu couldn't enter this place, what more for her own soul-catching demons?

Perhaps, she should call out to the Mitsuseki? Would it come to her on its own? She didn't even know the nature of that jewel...it could even me more elusive than the Shikon no Tama...

Kikyou closed her eyes and she let her aura flow out of her body like smoke rising out of fire.

_Listen to me... Come to me..._

Kikyou can feel the mysterious presence at the center of the body of water reaching out to grasp hers. Her hope began to rise. Threads of essence began to unwind and connect. She can feel herself becoming lost in the mesmerizing rhythm...the intoxicating fragrance of the _hanazuki_... But after a few minutes, she made no progress in calling that aura to her.

Kikyou squeezed the cloth of her sleeves with worry. Had she reached a dead end now? She had managed to evade Karatake's minions in the Minorikawa; was she to be stopped by the unmoving depths of the Tsukisawa?

_Think, Kikyou, think..._

The essence of the Tsukisawa began to envelop her. Unseen hands wrapped themselves around her in the manner of a mother, inviting her to come closer. She hadn't known that her feet were already walking on their own until she felt the cold fingers of the Waters pouring through her socks. Kikyou stepped back hastily, and the invisible hands withdrew themselves from her in what looked like a disappointed reluctance.

_It wants me to come to the heart, but how am I to do it? _Kikyou thought anxiously. Her nervous fingers made contact with a hard, narrow object within her sleeves. She frowned slightly. Kikyou reached into the pocket of her sleeves, and she found herself holding Kikumo's hair stick.

"_Thrust it into the soil, and it could make any plant grow, in almost any place..."_

The departed Demon Princess' words reached her mind, and Kikyou wondered why she hadn't seen its worth earlier. Think of all the beautiful blossoms she could have brought out of barren soil, all the herbs she could have effortlessly grown... Perhaps, one of them could have been of use to Umegae...

Umegae! The thought of the young Queen made Kikyou panic slightly. Was she still alive? Or had she succumbed to the poison? Will Kikumo ever forgive Kikyou if her younger sister died...when the power to heal her had been in the former priestess' grasp? Similar lines of thoughts repeated themselves in Kikyou's head.

A bitter sigh.

A hand clutched itself tightly around the hair stick.

Well, she'd better put it to good use at least once. Hardly conscious of what she was doing, Kikyou crouched close to the water's edge and pushed the tip of the stick into the watery soil. She held it there for a few moments before she pulled it back, waiting for something to happen.

With the subtleties of a falling snowflake, the tiny leaves of a plant pushed itself out of the soil. Then, with fantastic speed, it grew a trunk and split off into branches before the maiden's amazed eyes. In no time at all, she had a bridge to the heart of the lake, the wide trunk of the plant bending over the pristine waters.

Wasting no time, Kikyou climbed up the unnamed plant as carefully as a pregnant woman can manage. She began to walk on a steady limb, and was soon enveloped in the mist rising from the heart of the Tsukisawa.

...o0o...

"I get to see you once again, my daughter..."

The flowing tones of a familiar voice made Kikyou look up. She was so intent on making sure that she wouldn't slip down the depths that she didn't notice the other beautiful face looking at her with a smile. Hanazuki, her form barely visible in the intense light, gazed back at the human maiden's mahogany eyes with her own silvery oculars.

"Mother!" Kikyou said breathlessly, the joy at having to meet her mother-in-law once again nearly overwhelming her. She temporarily forgot her sorrows, for the Demon Lady's presence was enough to inspire even her hardened spirit.

Hanazuki's eyes softened. It has been so long...so long since she heard anyone call her by that endearing term.

"Kikyou..." she said, and the light about her dimmed slightly.

Now that Kikyou can see her better, the former priestess can see that she was garbed differently since the last time she saw her in the forest. Gone were the blue robes; Hanazuki now wore a kind of battle armor over a white kimono and a dark red skirt. A silver headpiece adorned her long flowing locks, emphasizing the color of her flashing eyes. Her powerful energy made the water beneath her feet and the mist over her head ripple and swirl as she hovered with only the tips of her toes touching the Tsukisawa.

She looked beautiful and terrible indeed, befitting to her title as the Lady of the Tsukisawa. Kikyou found herself staring at her own plain miko's garments, and her eyes widened to see that their robes had more similarity than one admitted. The white blouse...the red hakama... Did Lady Suien intentionally garb herself in the manner of a miko?

"My duty as the guardian of the Tsukisawa and the Mitsuseki makes me a Priestess in my own way," she said softly, answering Kikyou's unasked question. "The way you were once bound by your mission to the Shikon no Tama, I am bound by my responsibility to the Mitsuseki."

Kikyou raised her eyes and met Hanazuki's in a respectful manner. She could not help but see, indeed, a stunning similarity between Midoriko, the miko who formed the Shikon no Tama, and Hanazuki...or Kikyou herself, for the matter. They had great power, but their lives were chained in the name of inanimate Jewels...

"Sesshoumaru is in the battlefield, fighting in your name," Kikyou said. "I chose to come here on my own, to receive the Mitsuseki if you allow me."

Hanazuki did not speak for a long time, but she did not look coldly upon her daughter-in-law. On the contrary, there was understanding and...a strange kind of sadness in her eyes.

"I know," she replied. "I could not be more proud of you, my daughter. You have done so much to help Sesshoumaru when I wasn't there to do so..." She broke off. In her mind, Kikyou had a fleeting image of a young boy who looked no more than eight years old running towards his mother in a windy field. It was a young Sesshoumaru...the way Hanazuki remembered him.

"It was never your fault, Okaa-sama," Kikyou said, trying to alleviate Hanazuki's pain. She knew, given the chance, Suien would have chosen not to die an early death. But would things have changed, then? "Sesshoumaru never blamed you for whatever is befalling us now."

"Does he?" Hanazuki said. "He has changed so much since I died, I can tell. Withdrawn into himself, abandoning companionship for coldness...the way I had centuries earlier. If you weren't there, Kikyou, I am sure he would have ended up a tyrant like the Inu no Taishou in his youth."

"Tyrant..." Kikyou repeated.

Hanazuki's eyes darkened. "I am afraid it's partly my fault as well. I unwittingly encouraged Sesshoumaru, telling him that he can succeed because we, his parents, had reached thus far. Without me knowing, I had imprisoned my own son within our shadow."

Kikyou understood, for Sesshoumaru had often told her that he felt as though he lived in the shadow of the Inu no Taishou, and now, his own mother as well.

"_She was my inspiration as I walked my path," _Sesshoumaru had once told Kikyou, referring to his mother and father, "_but he became the standard for my future." _A rather painful, if not impossible goal, isn't it? It was easy to be frustrated and disappointed to fail where one's parents had succeeded...

"But even then," Kikyou remarked, "would things have been different, Mother? I believe that it was rather natural for him to look up to you and Otou-san as his role models, and even if you didn't encourage him when he was younger...as your son, Sesshoumaru would have sought to live up to your standard."

Hanazuki looked at Kikyou, and she smiled at the wisdom of the young woman.

"I am pretty sure, indeed," Hanazuki said in agreement. "But...will he hate his own mother if he finds out that I specifically requested the forging of the Tenseiga?"

Kikyou didn't know what to say. Honestly, she didn't know the answer. She knew that Sesshoumaru had an increased respect for the Blade of Heaven after Kikumo died, but even then, a small part of him might still be hankering after Tessaiga... After all, old habits tend to die hard, and what are a few years to youkai?

"It was my last instruction to his father," Hanazuki continued, "to give him the Sword of Heaven when the time is right. We both had hoped that he would see the worth of the sword so in time, he will be ready for the Mitsuseki as well. But it seems we have a little problem..."

...o0o...

"_What bothers you so, Hanazuki?" the Inu no Taishou asked of his gray-eyed mate, approaching behind her and embracing her on the shoulder. The day was beautiful in the Western Lands, the sun was just right and the wind blew at their flowing tresses. But Hanazuki had been silent throughout the day, and she had not her usual vigor when Sesshoumaru pulled at her hands to play._

"_Do you care for our son, darling?" she muttered, closing her eyes to feel him rub his face against her soft purple-black hair._

"_Of course I do, my beloved," he replied, wondering why she was asking that sort of thing...as if the answer wasn't evident already. "But you mean far more than the three worlds to me..."_

_Hanazuki leaned against her husband, resting her head against his neck. His arms went about her waist, and she lovingly held his hands as he hugged her close._

"_I need to tell you something..." she whispered._

"_I am here to listen," the silver-haired Demon Lord answered._

_It took some time for Hanazuki to find the right words, but his gentle squeeze on her hand encouraged her to say what she had to say._

"_I do not feel that it is too early to think about Sesshoumaru's future. Should I die, how will he be able to harness the power of what I will leave him?"_

_The Inu Taiyoukai knew what she was talking about. Ever since she became his mate, they had known everything about each other. She had told him about an elusive jewel that lay in her keeping, and that it must one day pass to Sesshoumaru. He saw nothing wrong in this, but to hear his own wife talking about her death this early...well, something must indeed be bothering her._

"_I am sure he will be able to do it when the time is right, koi," Inutaishou said._

"_I need you to do something, though..."_

_The utter pleading tone, which she hardly ever used on him, made the Inu no Taishou more confused than ever. He thought he knew Hanazuki, but there were times when he couldn't understand her withdrawn nature. She gently pried herself from his embrace and turned to face him in the eye. This is serious...this is really serious..._

"_Tell me what I must do, and I will do it," he said steadily, cupping her cheek tenderly._

_Hanazuki looked deeply into his amber oculars, and she sighed._

"_I need you to fashion a sword," she said. "A blade...that can bridge the gap between the Meidou and this world. I need you to embed this shard in it." She took out from her sash a folded piece of silk and gave it to him. Carefully, the Inu no Taishou opened it and he saw a tiny shard of a knife, a small triangle smaller than a fingernail, nestling in the white cloth._

"_That's the tip of my knife, the _tsuki no kakera," _Hanazuki explained. "It carries a concentration of my essence. I am afraid Sesshoumaru's own power will not be enough to make the Mitsuseki answer to him, so I thought deeply on how I am going to prevent this from happening. In having a shard of my power within a sword that can call upon the Other Side, he will be able to bring that little bit of essence to life without having to summon me back from the dead. In doing that, the Jewel of the Tsukisawa will recognize the blood of the Moon Elementals that flows in his veins, and he will be able to harness the Mitsuseki just as I had before him." _

_She was silent for a while, then she looked once again up at her husband's face. "You understand me, don't you?"_

_A serious expression was on the Inu no Taishou's face, but he folded the cloth carefully over the knife shard and he answered, "I understand. I will search for a suitable smith tomorrow, at once. I won't stop until I find one." He took Hanazuki's hand and kissed it. "You also have my word that only Sesshoumaru shall inherit the Western Lands from me. Only the children of my beloved Suien shall have any claim over the West."_

"_You didn't have to promise me that..." Hanazuki muttered, but Inu no Taishou planted a tender kiss on her lips, preventing her from speaking any more. She kissed him back, and she pressed herself against him, thankful that he was with her for another day. _

...o0o...

"You must realize," Hanazuki said gently, "that I cannot have the whole world knowing about the secret of the Sword of Heaven. If Karatake had even the slightest inkling about the true worth of the sword, I am sure he would have taken the right steps to render our efforts futile."

Kikyou's eyes blinked in surprise. Then, she saw Hanazuki's silver eyes, and the truth dawned upon her. The Tenseiga...the bridge to the Meidou and the world of the living...the sword that can bring to life the essence of the Lady of the Tsukisawa that lay sleeping in the blade...it all lay in the hands of Sesshoumaru. She found herself pulling the _tsuki no kakera _out of her sleeve.

"He had kept it all along," Hanazuki whispered, recognizing her knife. "It's a shame that the knife alone wasn't vital to help him with the Mitsuseki. It can repel my brother's minions, but otherwise, its power had faded since my death." A strange look passed over her gray oculars. "That was the reason why the Inu no Taishou wasn't there when Karatake killed me. He was away, searching for a smith to forge the Tenseiga."

Kikyou dared to ask a question which she had long been keeping to herself.

"Okaa-sama...do you despise him for taking on a human bride when you died?"

Hanazuki let out a chuckle. She had known that many youkai would have asked her the same question.

"Well, my darling, even I am not exempt from jealousy. But I had told him he is to let go of me should the worst happens, and that I should move on just in case he dies. No, I do not hate him, and nor do I hate Izayoi or her child. I know he was saddened over my death, for he delayed the forging of Tenseiga for a long time and nothing seemed to interest him in that long interval. But he didn't forget my request, did he? And he certainly left the Western Lands to Sesshoumaru."

"He never forgot you even if he took on a human mate."

"I miss him too, Kikyou. I have heard his soul calling out to me many times, telling me to follow him to the Other Side. Many times, I almost gave in to the temptation. But I told him I cannot go until Sesshoumaru gets the Mitsuseki."

"If I may ask...are you a spirit, Okaa-sama?" Kikyou whispered.

"A shade...a prevailing memory of someone who had long since died," Hanazuki replied. "I can reach out to the living if I wish to, but my time is running out. My ability to materialize beyond the Tsukisawa had gone."

Kikyou couldn't help but be saddened by this, although she had anticipated the answer all along. Of course, Hanazuki had died long ago, and she wasn't supposed to linger in this world. But for the love of her son, to make sure he attains the birthright she had left him...she had postponed her eternal rest for as long as she could. What was left for her to do once Sesshoumaru succeeds in defeating her brother to the Moon...but to go to the Meidou where her husband had gone ahead of her?

"Sesshoumaru would have wanted to see you again, Mother," Kikyou said.

At the mention of her only son, Hanazuki let out a sorrowful sigh.

"Sesshoumaru...he who I once held in my arms, he who now has to bear the burden of what I have left behind...I do wish to see him one last time, and see how much he had changed..." A thoughtful look, almost tearful, began to appear in her gray oculars. As a mother-to-be, Kikyou can understand her motherly instincts so well...

"He took so much after you, Mother," Kikyou said. "I am sure you must be proud of him."

Hanazuki smiled. "There is also much of Inu no Taishou that I see in Sesshoumaru. Be it in the fascination for 'evil' swords, or in that arrogant streak... I could not help but laugh! But the way he cares for you, and his determination to protect your unborn child... His father was very much the same."

Kikyou ran her hands over her belly. After a while of thinking, she said, "You can use my body to speak to him, Okaa-sama. I am sure you there are things that you want to tell him before you say goodbye."

"Kikyou..." Hanazuki floated forward and touched the former priestess' cheek, wearing a motherly gaze. "I am very proud to have you as my daughter-in-law. I am forever thankful to you for what you have done to my family, and you have my blessing. Take care of that little one inside you, my daughter, and carry on the legacy of the Moon Elementals."

"Mother..." Hanazuki then embraced her fully, and Kikyou was surprised to feel warmth envelop her...it was unlike anything she had experienced with other spirits. Suien, Lady of the Tsukisawa...the original guardian of the Mitsuseki...the flawless personification of the unseen side of the moon...

She withdrew her arms from Kikyou and she pulled out a fine, almost invisible silver chain from within the collars of her garments. A glowing blue light appeared on her hands, and Hanazuki held out the object to Kikyou. There in her hands, sparkling like a large teardrop of the clearest water, lay the Mitsuseki.

...o0o...

Yeah, chapter seventeen's done! ;P

**Lady Fabmel:** I will be swamped in flames if I killed Kikyou (not that I am already being flamed for being a SesshKik supporter, that is -.-)... Not that I would want to kill her. ;P The Kikumo-Yanagi connection will be formally revealed about two or three chapters from now, though there are some people who can already grasp something about it... /wink/

**Aya.Chaos:** The suspense kills, ne? ;P

**The East Wind Melts the Ice:** It's damn, damn close to a karmic connection! But no, that's still not it, hehe. Mizutori had tried to go into the Tsukisawa many times in the past, but she didn't succeed in finding it because of the barrier.

**Gossamer Wind:** As Umegae said, "It seems hanyou children have a good hold on their mothers." ;P

**WingedChunsa:** Kikyou is the superwoman of the series, yeah! Not even Naraku can kill her! (Oh well, the manga's going rather strangely nowadays...)

**Azn kawaii kikyo the devil:** Kiky is valiant in her own way. :D

**Cold Kikyo:** Hehehe. :D I do not want to kill off my protagonists. But I SURE want to get rid of Karatake! -.-

**ninalee-chan:** Thanks! Actually, Karatake had gone so far as to nearly rape her, but she fought back and took out his eye. O.o Man, I cannot wait to kill him!


	19. Chapter 18: Awakening of Battle

**XVIII: Awakening of Battle**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after ImotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **Our Tailwaggy couple rocks, yeah! Go read on! Note that I am no expert in warfare, so pardon me if the battlefield scenes are kinda crappy. I tend to avoid army clashings, but there's no way I can avoid that now... -.-

...o0o...

The silver-white of Sesshoumaru's knee-long tresses stood out from the dark background. The sudden dormancy of their enemies alarmed him slightly, for they were close to breaking clear of the old-growth forest and to the glum atmosphere of the Barren Wastes. Stern canyons, dark obsidian, rock surfaces as sharp as a blade edge...the Barren Wastes were clearly a sadistic trick of nature, a challenge they would now have to pass.

It was late afternoon, already five days since Kikyou and Rin encountered their first dragon, only hours more before Karatake breaks his seal...the third day he had spent apart from Kikyou. His precious mate is currently within the very vicinity of his late mother's domain, and in a few more hours she would receive from Suien herself a crucial weapon vital in defeating his uncle.

But of course, Sesshoumaru knew none of this, and he was constantly worrying that she had landed in the clutches of the evil minions. And _just _in case that happens, he was already thinking up of the gristliest, the most painful way with which he can send that Isamu to his doom...

"Are we not going to stop for a while, Lord Sesshoumaru?" Jaken asked. Now that Isamu had gone, the job of telling Sesshoumaru's orders to the deer youkai fell upon Jaken. The silver-haired taiyoukai was obviously very displeased with the dark-eyed Lord of the Deer Demons, and Isamu's men were clearly very afraid of him.

"Are we not youkai?" came Sesshoumaru's flat reply. He stepped forward, out of the shade of the great oak that sheltered his regal form. Sesshoumaru turned to face the forbidding dark landscape that now rose before them. "My father's battle with his past enemies were longer, even bloodier. Now tell them we are going!"

"Y-yes, Sesshoumaru-sama!" the froglike demon said, bowing clumsily and running off to repeat the order to the gathering of shikayoukai. The Deer Demons were masters of blending in with the forest background, and no human eye would have discovered the multitude of them hiding among the trees ready for ambush or to protect themselves against possible assault. Jaken had a difficult time making out their well-hidden forms to tell them the order.

Several shikayoukai in their true form emerged from the bushes upon hearing the order, and many more followed suit. Although they followed Sesshoumaru and obeyed his orders at the bidding of their Lord Isamu, they showed considerable reluctance now. Numerous eyes surveyed the rocky wastes of the region beyond the forest, and they refused to move forward until Sesshoumaru himself finally went back and addressed them.

"What is keeping you back?" he demanded more than asked, his annoyance so plain that his cold amber eyes could have started a fire. In the distance, a faint succession of roars could be heard.

Many of the Deer Demons cowered and drew back, but finally a brave one stepped forward and explained why they were reacting as such.

"We are creatures of the forest, Sesshoumaru-sama," the shikayoukai explained. "Once we step on that land, we would lose our ability to merge our forms with the surroundings, and our enemies will be able to spot us easily."

Sesshoumaru thought that it was nonsense, and he hated wasting precious time with these cowards.

"So?" the Demon Lord countered. "Your aura can give you away any time."

"Sesshoumaru-sama," the other demon said, trying in vain to convince the taiyoukai about the imminent danger they were going to face, "we have been successful in our combat partially because we can mask ourselves among vegetation. To enter such a barren land, tree-less and pure rock...we would lose this important asset and we might suffer losses this time-"

The silver-haired inuyoukai's eyes narrowed and he turned his back on the shikayoukai with a snort.

"It was a mistake to allow you to meddle in this war," his icy voice penetrated their ears. "I never should have trusted you. Well then, if you feel cowardly enough to turn back now, do so. I won't have any spineless swine getting in my way."

Sesshoumaru began to walk into the dark canyon, as though it all meant nothing to him. The Deer Demons glanced at each other with worried looks, but his final words served their purpose and soon they began to follow him, first individually, then in groups. Many of them felt it was folly to give up the protection of the forest, but they kept silent and yielded to the will of the inuyoukai.

Jaken lost no time in walking fast to keep in stride with his master.

"With just a few words," he said, looking up admiringly at the silver-haired greater demon, "you were able to make them submit to you. You are truly amazing, Sesshoumaru-sama."

Sesshoumaru snorted, but he otherwise said nothing. The light began to fail and the shadows lengthened among the dark crevices of rock with the coming of sunset, but his sharp sense of sight made it easy for him to carry on even in the coming of twilight. He didn't even spare a look of interest at his surroundings, whilst Jaken and the shikayoukai following were regarding the rising rock walls about them with great suspicion.

Another great roar made the rock faces shiver. Sesshoumaru sensed them...they were massing at a single point in the Barren Wastes, and he knew that it is there where Karatake is sealed.

The mere thought of his cruel uncle was enough to make his pointed ears twitch. His mother's killer...a demon twisted by the dirty lust he had for his sister, and that sister was the Lady Suien herself...such combination of foul attributes made Sesshoumaru hate him all the more, even if he had never met Karatake...yet. To him, Karatake was a fool, and Sesshoumaru wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be not right in the head. What sensible person would fall for one's own sister?

_He will not stain your dignity for much longer, Mother, _Sesshoumaru thought. _He will have to die for even _daring _to defile you..._

...o0o...

The night was way advanced when Sesshoumaru finally made out the point of the Minetetsu. It was in the Peak of Iron where Suien sealed her brother a long time ago, and even a fool would know there was much activity going on around the place. Numerous fires were alight at the base of the dark monolith, which rose above the rest of the Barren Wastes like a lone finger.

Masses and masses of the undead minions, far more than they had ever seen, were clustered around the Minetetsu, so many that from their safe distance they can hear fragments of raucous conversations in the crude exchange of sounds they had for a language. If it had been a war of numbers, they would have been overwhelmed in an instant by the entire army of undead. But there was something else that further lessened the morale of Isamu's soldiers.

Clinging on to the sharp face of the vertical peak were two full-sized dragons. They were constantly snapping at each other with their sharp fangs and forked tongues, occasionally striking out with a clawed limb as the other tried to steal his position on the rock. By now the shikayoukai realized that the roars they have been hearing throughout the march came from the two dragons.

The Deer Clan was generally peaceful towards other youkai tribes, but at one time or another they made enemies with other clans over land disputes or some other reasons. The Dragons were long at strife with the inuyoukai, as well as with the shikayoukai for Ryuukossei's kindred were the traditional enemies of the Deer. The shikayoukai and the dragons had avoided conflict by staying away from each other, but it seems this uneasy peace will have to be broken soon.

They hid themselves in the shadows, keeping from the light of the sliver of moon and the stars which sparkled high above, uncaring about the troubles of the land. The night was unusually clear, and but it was cold in the canyons.

"How are we going to stand up against that many?" Jaken worriedly asked of Sesshoumaru, whose expression hadn't changed at all.

"We only need to destroy one person, and they will all crumble," Sesshoumaru answered, as though it was all that simple.

He surveyed the gathering of their enemies with a sharp eye, whilst thinking of what step he should take next. It might have been simple indeed, if he killed Karatake before he can emerge from the seal, but alas, the cunning bastard seemed to have employed the help of all his minions to make sure that they won't even come close to the Minetetsu. The two dragons, no doubt, were on the Peak of Iron to guard their master from any possible assault.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. If only he had known of his mother's plight earlier...he could have avoided all this. Why had no one told him? Why not Mizutori? Why not his father? Or perhaps, even the Inu no Taishou didn't know how Suien met her end...

_Why weren't you there when we needed you, Father? Did you already have another woman then?_

Sesshoumaru drove those bitter thoughts away. No use thinking of things that had long since passed. The wise thing to do was to put the time that had been given him into good use. He would not get anywhere asking _why_...he should start asking _how_.

"Do they appear to know that we are here?" the taiyoukai asked his retainer.

"If they did, milord, they do not appear to be troubled," came Jaken's answer, no less perturbed.

Sesshoumaru looked over his shoulder. Many pairs of jeweled eyes glittered out of the dark and looked back at him with anticipation. The shikayoukai had taken refuge among the crevices of the rock, awaiting his orders. They were clearly vulnerable out of the forest, but hopefully the battle will end soon.

"We attack at dawn," Sesshoumaru said softly. A freezing wind passed over the canyon, making an eerie wailing sound as it passed among hidden rock holes. A small amount of rock crumbled out of the face of a nearby rock wall, the debris falling as a shower down on the dry floor beneath.

_Kikyou...I hope you're all right._

...o0o...

A sudden burst of light made the little company huddled in the middle of the misty limbo world cover their eyes. Isamu lead his companions the previous day in a great journey to nowhere, and they had not made any progress in finding Kikyou or the way out of the gloomy miasma.

The darkening of their surroundings was the only proof that it was nighttime, and they knew that it was useless to trek in the dead-looking land without light. They had no fire, and to keep warm they kept close to one another. Mizutori's feathers made a cozy mattress, but nothing could have banished Rin's hunger.

They had been going without food for the past days, but Umegae and Isamu could only shake their heads in despair. Yanagi was fine, for she still lived on her mother's milk. But how were they to survive for long in this formless wasteland? They may have escaped Karatake's minions, yet now they were stuck in this unknown dimension. They had only walked into another prison.

"What is happening?" Isamu asked no one in particular, shielding his eyes from the sudden brightness that engulfed them.

Umegae managed to squint through the whiteness, and she gasped to see a familiar figure walking towards them.

"Kikyou!" she exclaimed. Their other companions looked her way and true enough, the former priestess' form became more distinct as she drew closer. She looked extremely ethereal...a fallen angel, a bright torch illuminating the darkness.

The young demoness stood up and ran towards Kikyou, her arms outstretched. Kikyou appeared to be in a trance, and she did not notice Umegae until the warm embrace became the living proof that the Queen of the Shikayoukai was no apparition. Kikyou burst into tears then; the light that radiated from her disappeared, and they were back in the gloom again.

"Kikyou-sama, it's all right!" Isamu said, rushing towards the two females with Yanagi in his arms. Their surroundings were beginning to lighten, and he can dimly make out their forms in the darkness; it must be near daybreak. "We are here!"

Kikyou didn't answer. She was weeping, and Umegae was doing her best to comfort the young woman. She let her cry against her shoulder, and Umegae gently stroked Kikyou's raven hair. Her first worry was that Kikyou was injured or something happened to her unborn child, but as Umegae examined her in the dim light, Kikyou appeared to be all right aside from a couple of bruises and scratches.

"Rin missed you, Kikyou-sama!" Rin said, every bit as tearful as Kikyou, throwing herself in her foster mother's arms.

Kikyou hugged them all back wordlessly, but she kept on crying and she refused to meet their eyes. Finally, Umegae, running her hands over Kikyou's own, noticed that the former miko kept her right hand in a fist, as though clutching something. She tried to gently pry Kikyou's hand open, but Kikyou's fingers held firm.

"What are you holding, Kikyou?" she asked, trying to look into Kikyou's mahogany eyes.

Kikyou looked up then, and to their surprise, she was smiling amidst her tears. Her eyes searched for Mizutori, and seeing the heron-like demoness looking at her intently, she finally spoke.

"You were right," she said breathlessly, her clenched right hand moving over her heart.

Mizutori tilted her head and stepped closer to the former priestess to hear her better.

"What do you mean, Kikyou-sama?" she asked, perplexed. "I am right about what?"

"You were right about her," Kikyou replied, her voice no less intense, her message no less mysterious to her other companions but Mizutori. "You were right about the Tsukisawa..."

"What's the Tsukisawa?" Isamu tried to ask, but Mizutori's sapphire eyes showed understanding.

"Did you succeed, milady?" Mizutori asked, her conversation with the former priestess incomprehensible to Rin and the shikayoukai.

Kikyou, her right hand still pressed over her chest, bowed her head and whispered, "It... has been... done." She collapsed against Umegae, as though she had not the strength to keep herself on her feet.

"We _need _to get out of this place," Umegae said urgently, supporting Kikyou with her arms.

"How can we find our way back?" Isamu contradicted. "We must be in the middle of this wasteland now!"

Kikyou spoke again, her voice in a whisper, "The... shinidamachuu... will guide us."

"Shinidamachuu?"

As though to answer Isamu's question, a pair of soul-catching demons with violet eyes and armor-like plates on their heads appeared out of the mist and began to hover around them. At their appearance, Mizutori let out what looked like a half-gasp, half-sob, and she bowed her crested head. To their surprise, they saw beady tears forming on her sapphire eyes.

"Mizutori-sama!" Rin went up to the bird demon and cupped the heron's face in her hands.

"I am all right, little Rin-chan," Mizutori answered. Turning to Isamu and the others, she motioned them to get on her back. "We are going out of here."

They all got on Mizutori's downy back. Isamu and Umegae had given Kikyou her bow and quiver, and she bowed deeply to them expressing her thanks. They changed their sitting positions lest Kikyou slip down once again, with Rin at the very front, then Kikyou, afterwards Umegae and Yanagi. In the rear was Isamu, his naginata ready to combat any assault.

The purple-eyed soul-catchers stayed patiently until they made themselves comfortable. Confident that they were not secure, Mizutori nodded to the shinidamachuu, and they floated into the mist. Mizutori spread her wings and set off with a running start. In a few seconds, they were aloft, flying out of the fog and towards the cloudless lands.

...o0o...

The first rays of the sun had not even broken out of the misty horizon when Sesshoumaru ordered his legions to move forward in attack. He had put into considerations the natural terrain and the winding twists of the canyon when formulating his plan.

The Minetetsu was surrounded by a deep crevice which wound around the base of the peak like a noose. The only way to get past this crevice was by several land bridges on three different points, all leading to different places at the base of Minetetsu. Sesshoumaru had no intention of leading Isamu's troops within the shadow of the Peak of Iron. The rock would crumble under the combined masses of shikayoukai and undead minions.

But he needed to get the minions out of the way. The most reasonable alternative would be to lure them out of the Minetetsu. It would be easy to get those minions trapped in between the many tall rock walls ringing the Barren Wastes, and they could be dispatched by the bowmen of the shikayoukai whom he had positioned on the rock faces. Sesshoumaru knew that it was up to him to take care of the dragons, and after that, Karatake himself. If he was successful, he will be able to destroy his uncle even before he can break his seal.

Many times, Jaken had objected and tried to convince Sesshoumaru to leave the dragons to the shikayoukai, but Sesshoumaru would not waver in his decisions. Those deer demons would be no match to the dragons, and he had felt their fear towards their traditional enemy. No, the dragons were his, and there was no changing that.

They carried out their assault well enough, the renowned speed of the Deer Demons vital in the upcoming drama. They would come near the undead minions guarding all the possible land entryways to the Minetetsu and engage in close combat with the filthy beings, but the shikayoukai managed to withdraw quickly at Sesshoumaru's command. The minions took in the bait, and the great masses began to stampede out of the Peak of Iron like a whole colony of ants emerging out of the anthill.

So quickly did they stampede; so intent were they in pursuing the deer demons who hastily backed away, that many of their own kind were trampled underfoot or fell down the deep crags, pushed to their death by the rapidly shifting multitude. But Sesshoumaru's tactic did work; they were swarming out of the Minetetsu.

Then the unthinkable happened. The two dragons on the peak, previously eyeing the scene with utter boredom as though the demise of their comrades meant nothing to them, opened their mouths and a spurt of dirty yellow liquid spurted out of their throats. This liquid darted to several places where the shikayoukai legions merged with the undead minions, effectively inflicting numerous youkai from both sides indiscriminately with deep wounds as though a scored by a white-hot poker. The dragons were spurting out poison.

Sesshoumaru knew he had to do something quickly. Whipping out his Toukijin, he leaped up the air in flight and sent out blue energy from his sword, targeted at one of the dragons. The attention of the two large beings was diverted at once. Seeing the one person that they really desired to kill...the only son of their master's prime enemy, they began to fight in the earnest now.

_Irrelevant bastards, _Sesshoumaru thought to himself, effortlessly dodging the interplay of poison being spurted at him. Not that he would be affected by them; he found himself thanking his mother for giving him his immunity to poisons. Shifting his sword to his left hand, he summoned out his _Dokkasou _from hisright hand and canceled out the dirty yellow bands coming at him.

Out of a sudden, a voice emerged from the cold stone of the Minetetsu.

"_Ah, my young nephew is here...I see you have inherited _Dokkasou. _Just wait a little bit longer, for I am close to being freed from your mother's hateful seal..."_

_Karatake, _his uncle's name passed through Sesshoumaru's mind. In the horizon, red streaks began to mark the coming of sunrise. He had a few minutes to kill the dragons before the dawning of the seventh day marked the end of the centuries-old seal of Karatake...

Eventually, his quick scheming mind helped him benefit from the dragon's abilities instead of being harmed by them. He fought them as though taunting them, using his energy whip instead of Toukijin's kenatsu. They fought him with their poison, as though they haven't yet seen that he could not be affected by it.

Sesshoumaru would evade them, and the sprays of poison would fall on the undead minions, sending more of them into their doom. All this time, they refused to leave their post on the Minetetsu, and Sesshoumaru felt his patience wearing thin.

Finally, he did an intrepid feat that no other youkai living at present would have dared: he darted between the two snapping heads of the pair of dragons, and they promptly snapped at him, seeking to crush him in their baggy mouths.

Sesshoumaru carefully watched their every move, and he narrowly escaped their gaping fangs before one of the giant youkai ended up biting its companion in a death choke on the neck. The dragon died at once, the lumbering form making rocks crumble beneath its weight. It carried many minions with it as it fell on the dark crevice to be one with the many dead corpses down below.

_Only one more to go..._

Now was the time for Toukijin. Summoning back his poison whip, Sesshoumaru transferred the sword back to his dominant hand and held it before him.

"_Souryuuha!"_

The attack of blue lightning-like energy wrenched the dragon from its hold on the Minetetsu, but it was not quite dead yet. Truly angry now, the dragon rose to its full height and swiped at Sesshoumaru. He flew higher up in the sky, and the monster followed him up in flight. Sending a few more bursts of energy from his sword, he was able to cut several deep wounds on the dragon's tough hide.

The spiked tail lashed out at him, narrowly missing his torso. At once, Sesshoumaru could not help but remember a flash of memory from his younger years...he and his father on a snow-covered beach...his father with his back to him, facing a full moon, a still-bleeding wound making blood drip down on the fresh snow... (1)

It was after Inu no Taishou's battle with Ryuukossei, after the dragon seriously wounded his father...just before Inuyasha was born...

_You are not my purpose for coming here! _

His fury unleashed, Sesshoumaru bore down upon the dragon, slicing through the larger demon. The dragon was divided in half, its black blood raining down the flurry of shikayoukai and undead minions running to escape being crushed beneath the corpse.

Sesshoumaru stepped down for a moment on a rock pinnacle. Then, his eyes widened in alarm at the brightness that broke out from the horizon. A maniacal laugh broke through the thin air.

He turned hastily, cursing himself for stopping even a moment, but the Minetetsu was already being rocked by tremors from within. Near its base, a protrusion on the dark obsidian was changing shape, twisting and writhing...assuming a more human form.

"_You are too late, Sesshoumaru! You may be valiant, BUT YOU ARE TOO LATE!"_

...o0o...

Additional story notes:

1) _A flash of memory from his younger years _- this scene is shown in the beginning of Movie 3: Tenka Hadou no Ken

* * *

Yay, we're finally in /real/ battle! Final judgment is coming! ;P 

**Eruanne: **Oh Eru darling! I finally got to hear from you! I really missed your encouraging words!

**Lady Fabmel: **I have another story in mind after TUSotM, but I haven't started it so far... I am also thinking of writing a SessKiku one-shot (a reverse IMotC, in some points), but I am not sure about that either.

**WingedChunsa:** There will be another great use to that hair stick in the next chapter or two. ;P

**Cold Kikyo: **I really wish that the relationship of most in-laws is like that of Kiky and Suien...

**Azn kawaii kikyo the devil: **Thank you/huggles/

**Mannequin: **I /love/ writing scenes about Inupapa and Suien! I wish I can write more of them... -.-

**Gossamer Wind: **I like Izayoi too, but I show preference towards my own character. :P

**The East Wind Melts the Ice: **It would be a happy reunion, indeed. ;P


	20. Chapter 19: Ray of Moonlight in Dark Sky

**XIX: A Ray of Moonlight in a Dark Sky**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after ImotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **This is the third chapter to the last, to read it while the fun lasts! ;P

...o0o...

He broke free with a huge flash of light, a whiteness that was soon darkened by the smoke that rose out of the foot of the forbidding monument. Everything was silent, from the youkai to the forces of nature, as though they all held their breath to anticipate the upcoming clash between Sesshoumaru and his mother's younger, rival brother. Finally, in a sharp gesture, the smoke cleared and Sesshoumaru found himself glaring at a single, baleful eye.

Karatake had changed little since Suien sealed him to the Minetetsu before her death. He still wore the same robes of different shades of green, covered with a pattern of mottled bamboo. His waist-length hair, which was the color of a newly-opened shoot, was tied back in a low ponytail except for several long locks which he allowed to grow long over the left side of his face.

Only his eyes - or more precisely, his eye - seemed to have any difference in them. The pale blue orb seemed to have a kind of crazed hatred in them, which steadily intensified as he caught sight of his silver-haired nephew standing on a pinnacle nearby.

Sesshoumaru.

Inuyoukai and Moon Elemental regarded each other with a wary gaze. Beneath Sesshoumaru's neutral face, he felt his emotions seething to come face to face with his late mother's murderer. Why did he hesitate even a moment? He could have destroyed this filthy bit of life even before it had the chance to come to life again. And to think that this unwanted maniac is his own uncle, such was a great blow to his pride, indeed.

Karatake, on the other hand, had mixed and complicated feelings. It was as though the spirit of Suien had indeed come into the world again through her only son. Sure, those amber eyes, the silver hair and the slightly different markings on Sesshoumaru's head were obviously the work of Inu no Taishou's blood, but the over-all look of that face...he took more after his beautiful mother, indeed.

If the very resemblance was enough to drive Karatake mad, he was further driven to the edge by Sesshoumaru's cold look. That was the same look Suien herself gave him many years prior... She, his curse of a sister...he loved her beyond what siblings can give, but _he _took her from him and together, they formed _this _son... Sesshoumaru and Suien, they were a shame to the Children of the Moon!

"My little nephew," Karatake said, the first to speak after what seemed like an eternity of silence, "I have been waiting for you." A slight smirk began to form at the edge of his lips.

"I have only one business here," Sesshoumaru calmly retorted, and in the blink of an eye, he raised the Toukijin and leaped down the pinnacle in a graceful arc. Clouds of dust and particles went up at the base of the Peak of Iron as he struck at Karatake, signaling the start of the final battle.

...o0o...

With the help of the purple-eyed shinidamachuu, Mizutori and her charges finally managed to emerge from the thick mist cloaking the borders of the Tsukisawa. Isamu expelled the breath which he had been holding for a long time and gazed at the newly-risen sun, thankful to be alive.

Kikyou looked back at her mother-in-law's soul-catching demons that went back to the thick mist now that their duty was accomplished. She wondered if she would ever see them again. Mizutori bent her slender legs and lowered herself to the ground for them to dismount.

Umegae, Rin and Yanagi dismounted from Mizutori, but no matter what he did, Isamu could not get Kikyou to come down from her feathery seat.

"Kikyou-sama, we are safe now!" he said, trying to reassure the former miko. Umegae, carrying Yanagi carefully in one arm, had picked some edible greens from a nearby bush and given them to Rin, knowing that the little girl was obviously starved. Seeing that her husband and Mizutori were having some sort of problem with Kikyou, Umegae left Rin for a while and went to them.

"What is wrong, Kikyou?" Umeage asked kindly, gently cupping the young maiden's cheek in the manner of a friend.

Kikyou kept her head bowed, and her right still remained clutched in a fist. Mizutori gently nudged at her with her long beak, and she gradually raised her head. Her mahogany eyes seemed to have a look of determination in them, as though she was bent on fulfilling a purpose not yet carried out. She spoke, and her words utterly shocked them all.

"Mizutori, I need you to take me to Sesshoumaru."

At once, her companions began to attempt to dissuade her.

"Kikyou-sama, he would not want you to leave this place, where you are safe..."

"Why would you with to further hurt yourself or your child, Kikyou?"

"Please reconsider your decisions, my lady... The Minetetsu is the most dangerous of places at present!"

But Kikyou shook her head firmly, and for the first time, she opened her right fist and they were temporarily blinded by the bluish glow of the teardrop-like jewel nestling on her palm. After a few seconds, the sudden burst of radiance from the Mitsuseki died down and the jewel assumed the clarity that marked itself in dormancy.

"Bless my soul," Mizutori said in a throaty voice, her sapphire eyes glued to the now clear, colorless jewel. "That couldn't be..."

Rin, who had eaten her fill of the succulent cresses, now joined the flurry of others inspecting the jewel. She looked up at her foster mother and asked, "What is that? Where did Kikyou-sama get it?"

"Yes, Kikyou, what is this mysterious gem?" Umegae and Isamu added their questions.

In whispered words, Kikyou began to narrate the true story behind Sesshoumaru's reasons for seeking to defeat Karatake, which went back to the murder of the Lady Suien his mother and the sealing of Karatake. Of Lady Suien's jewel, which she now carried in her hands...why it should be joined with Tenseiga before it can be fully unleashed...why she should now reach her husband before it was too late...

"I need to get to him," Kikyou said again, closing her hands over the Mitsuseki and holding her hands against her chest. "If I have to go alone, so be it. You have all been so kind to me; I don't want you to die trying to help me..."

Umegae broke her off gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Of course you are going to Sesshoumaru-sama," the Shikayoukai Queen said, "and we are coming with you."

Kikyou looked up, her eyes widening in surprise. Several faces looked back at her. They were all lined with fatigue; all of them were covered with the dirt and grime of the previous days, but they all smiled at her and nodded with agreement to Umegae's words. Even little Yanagi stirred in her mother's embrace and one of her little hands reached out to Kikyou.

"Ik...yo..."

Yanagi's cute efforts at saying her name made Kikyou's eyes well up with tears of gladness. She held out one of her hands and grasped the much smaller one reaching for hers. Umegae smiled and held her baby closer to the former priestess.

Isamu stepped forward and held his naginata in a manner of one renewing old allegiances, placing one hand over his chest.

"In the name of the Deer Clan," he said in a regal voice, "I shall fulfill my oath to the very end. We will protect you, Kikyou-sama; I won't fail this time."

"For the salvation of Lady Suien and the honor of her family," Mizutori said, "I vow to help you, Lady Kikyou. We won't stop until our cause is done!"

Rin raised herself up to her toes and kissed Kikyou on her cheek, saying, "I am going too, Kikyou-sama. I love you so much!"

Kikyou found herself hugging Rin and letting her tears escape freely from her eyes. The others stood watching her for the next few moments until she finally wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, her determination renewed.

"Then let us not waste more time. Take us to the Barren Wastes, Mizutori...to my husband!"

...o0o...

"Is this all that you can do?" Karatake taunted, narrowly dodging the swings of Toukijin without exactly fighting back himself. "You are not even half as good as your mother!"

"_To provoke an enemy would be a great mistake..."_

Suien's words to him when he was still a child repeated themselves in Sesshoumaru's mind. He had not failed to notice that his uncle was actually not fighting back, and was merely dodging his attacks. It was as though Karatake was testing him..._playing with him..._ That annoying smug smirk was flattening his patience to a dangerously fragile thinness...

_I know, Mother..._ Sesshoumaru answered automatically in his mind, still managing to keep his focus.

Karatake's grin began to widen with the passage of each moment, as though he knew of the inner struggle of his nephew and took pride in foiling his efforts.

"You look so like her," Karatake continued, surprisingly getting hold of the blade of Toukijin with his bare hand and leaning his face so close to Sesshoumaru's that they can feel each other's angry breaths. "How touching it is...a son avenging his dear Okaa-san's death..." He pushed his adversary backwards with a considerable amount of force.

Sesshoumaru, however, managed to land on his feet on a rocky outcrop of the Minetetsu several meters above. Beyond them, their respective soldiers were also absorbed in battle. Karatake's minions, driven with mad desire more than anything, attacked with crazed cries, seeking to kill as many of their adversaries as they can.

The Deer Demons, however, held on firmly amidst the losses they were struggling with, of scores of their people succumbing to poison or injuries too fatal for their full youkai healing ability... None of them won't come down without a fight.

"How pitiful you are," it was Sesshoumaru's turn to taunt. "Mother was right to reject you when you tried to take her for your own. Probably, her only imperfection was in having such a shameful brother as you."

Sesshoumaru's mock using such an evenly-placed voice successfully angered Karatake. He was to learn later that the Moon Elemental was probably the least patient person in the world, and Karatake furiously leaped after Sesshoumaru, bereft of any weapon but his own abilities which his nephew had yet to see.

"Hybrid of a Moon Elemental! A shame to the race of the Tsukiyoukai! That's what you are, Sesshoumaru! That's what you are!" Karatake began to shout continuous curses at Sesshoumaru, attacking in the earnest now. Though he had no sword, his hands seemed to be made of tough steel which couldn't be cut by any sword. He would hit the blade with his bare fists, and even Sesshoumaru was having a hard time maintaining his grip on the Toukijin. "You are the embodiment of the Spirit of the Moon tainted by the blood of the Dog...he who is your father!"

Sesshoumaru found himself being forced to retreat backwards as Karatake beat at the Toukijin with his clenched hands. He knew that a sword will not be able to endure a succession of waves such as what his uncle was now doing. He must think of a good counterattack quickly...

"Indeed, I have the blood of two youkai races," Sesshoumaru answered, backing further upwards the Minetetsu to avoid Karatake's blows. Though his face retained the neutral mask, his anger was already boiling to its highest limit within. The nerve of this wretched demon to call him a _hybrid, _a _half-breed._..such terms were reserved for lower beings only. "But the blood that flows within my veins is far cleaner that what flows in yours."

"Ha, my boy," Karatake retorted, his single eye narrowing in annoyance. He punched the rock wall beside him with his left hand, causing a shower of broken rock and debris to fall between him and Sesshoumaru.

"Suien already made a great mistake when she pushed me away and to be with your father instead," he continued, at the same time charging against Sesshoumaru with his iron fists raised. "What good did that do? All that it got her was an impertinent son, an oppressor like his father. And what did the Inu no Taishou do in return? Went off with an _inferior _human lady...that's what you fools call love, indeed."

He once more grabbed hold of Toukijin's blade, his fingers clamping themselves tighter over the metal.

"And for you to fall in love with a mortal woman, Sesshoumaru...you are in all ways just like your foolish father!"

The thought of Kikyou powered Sesshoumaru's will. He sent off an Azure Dragon Blast out of Toukijin while Karatake still held on to it. Karatake was blown downwards by the force of pure energy, and there was no mistake about the surprise in his icy blue eyes as he pelted to the rocks below, Sesshoumaru following close behind ready to launch another blow.

"You are wrong about Father," Sesshoumaru said, an unmasked hatred evident in his amber eyes. "He did not abandon my mother."

"Didn't he?" Karatake said testily, getting up quickly from the rubble in renewed combat with the silver-haired taiyoukai. He began to smirk again. "How do you explain then, the Inu Taiyoukai's liaison with that ningen woman?"

"_He did not abandon Mother!" _Sesshoumaru nearly shouted, another _Souryuuha_ aimed at Karatake, who managed to leap out of its way this time.

Or did he? Sesshoumaru had long been thinking about this delicate topic for many years, and he was careful to hide his doubt from his uncle. As the elder son of the Inu no Taishou, he knew that his father remained single for a great many years since the death of his mother. Sesshoumaru was only a little child when Suien was killed, and he was already in his adolescent years by the time Izayoi came to the picture.

But between that long, gloomy interval, his father raised him alone and shunned all other female demons who tried to fill in the place of the Lady Hanazuki. Sesshoumaru used to be so confident that Inutaishou wouldn't take another woman after Hanazuki, but Izayoi changed all that...

...o0o...

"_What are you doing, Mother, Father?" a young Sesshoumaru innocently queried of his parents, whom he unexpectedly came upon sharing a passionate lip-lock._

_Inu_ _no Taishou and Suien immediately broke their kiss and gazed upon their son who looked up at them with questioning eyes, more curious than they had ever seen him before. Hanazuki picked him up and carried him in her arms. His father ruffled his shoulder-length silver hair, and Sesshoumaru playfully swatted Inu no Taishou's hand away._

"_We were kissing, Sesshoumaru," his mother said in her usual wont, as though she was talking about the most ordinary of things. The Inu Taiyoukai could not help but shake his head slightly at her straightforwardness. He didn't know how he would answer Sesshoumaru if he were in her place._

"_Why were you kissing, Okaa-sama?"_ _Sesshoumaru continued to ask, lightheartedly grabbing hold of Suien's pointed ears, as was his way of getting her attention._

"_It's because we love each other, you little rascal," his father replied with a growl, tickling his son. Sesshoumaru let out a laugh and begged to be transferred to his father's shoulders. Once he was sitting on Inu no Taishou's shoulders, Sesshoumaru rested his chin on his father's silvery hair, holding on to his high ponytail._

"_Is it nice, Otou-sama?"_

"_What is nice, Sesshoumaru?"_

"_To kiss like that..."_

_Inu_ _no Taishou looked desperately at Suien, who looked as calm as ever. She nearly laughed out loud. He was clueless, as always. She must come to his rescue most of the time, whenever Sesshoumaru tends to ask those not-so-innocent questions of his..._

"_Well, your father and I _like _it," Suien said, giving her son a cheek pat. "I suppose it is nice, indeed."_

_It might be too simple an answer, but Sesshoumaru accepted it anyway. A few days later, when his mother went to the Borderlands to visit the Lady Azami, taking him with her, he narrated to Kikumo what he had seen and heard. She suggested that the two of them try it, but Sesshoumaru had turned away in disgust. He wouldn't talk to her for some time after that._

...o0o...

Sesshoumaru stopped for a mere second, caught up with the emotions of the memory. But a mere faltering was all Karatake needed. He rushed at Sesshoumaru, his fist ready to punch through his face. Sesshoumaru managed to regain his wits at once, and he narrowly escaped the blow by angling his head to the side. He managed to hide his surprise to feel a slight pain on his cheek. Seconds later, blood from the long scratch had spattered down his collar.

Karatake can cut using the wind, the way he can use Toukijin's kenatsu or sword pressure to cut his enemies without directly touching them.

"Probably thinking of your mother now, eh?" Karatake said as Sesshoumaru drew backwards, his sword still held alert.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and lunged forward in attack. His sword was poised directly to cut his evil uncle in half; Karatake's eye and mouth were wide open as though in an expression of pain when the blade touched the crown of his head. But after a few moments, he let out a malicious chuckle, the triumph plain in his ice-blue orb. Toukijin couldn't cut him.

The Demon Prince leaped backwards before Karatake can have a chance to fight back. _Now_ he knew he was in a dilemma. Karatake was a harder foe to deal with than he had anticipated.

"You thought I was weak, didn't you?" Karatake sneered, but otherwise he kept still on his place. "You thought that you can defeat me with what powers you have? Foolish thing to do, nephew. No blade can ever harm me. It shall be my pleasure to bring you to a death as gristly as that of your mother!"

With that, he did the unthinkable. Leaping forward, he engaged in a force-fed battle with Sesshoumaru to wrestle the Toukijin from his hands. Karatake had a hard time getting what he wanted, and his nephew was clearly a little bit quicker than he thought. Finally, he struck out at Sesshoumaru's dominant wrist. Toukijin immediately went flying from his hand, falling with a clatter a few feet from them.

Karatake managed to get hold of the sword first, which already spoke much of his own power. Before Sesshoumaru claimed the sword, never had anyone successfully held the Toukijin without being possessed by the powerful evil spirit within.

Sesshoumaru stayed still, though he eyed his uncle with a look of unmasked loathing. He flinched slightly at the pain on his wrist. Karatake must have sprained - or even worse, broke - his bones there. Sesshoumaru gingerly touched the injured wrist with his other hand, and he flinched again. It was most certainly painful. That was the first serious injury he had since Inuyasha hacked off his left arm.

Suien's brother was letting out a series of triumphant sniggers, observing the injury he had just inflicted on his rival's son. But he was not quite finished yet. Holding his stolen sword by its blade, he slowly and deliberately began to crush the metal with his grip. At some point, it appears that he would not make it, but Karatake forced his will on the sword until the sickening sound of breaking metal proved that he had succeeded. He afterwards threw the remnants of Toukijin down the nearby chasm, now confident that he will be able to defeat Sesshoumaru once and for all.

Karatake once more began his assault. Sesshoumaru leaped out of his attack's way when Karatake punched the rock on where he previously stood. Cunning bastard. His _Dokkasou_ was confined to his right hand, unlike his mother who could summon it out of both hands. In robbing him of the use of his dominant wrist, Karatake had him effectively crippled.

"Now I am beginning to see more of Suien in you," Karatake mocked, following Sesshoumaru closely. "This was just how she looked before she died...desperate, but valiant. She fought until the very end... Pity, she just lived a wasted life after all."

His youki suddenly exploded. He opened his mouth, blowing out a breath of flames that came out in a wide sweep. Sesshoumaru managed to evade being burned by the white-hot fire by moving higher up the Minetetsu, but Karatake followed him anyway. From their elevated level, a searing canyon wind began to blow, adding their screeches to the wails of the lesser youkai below. The wind blew Karatake's hair out of his face, exposing his horrible secret.

Where his left eye should be was but a hollow of deformed flesh. The majority of skin covering the upper left side of his face was crinkled and black, bearing a rough resemblance to tree bark that had been scorched in a forest fire. Sesshoumaru was used to such sights, and he had already known about his uncle's handicap thanks to Mizutori, that the sight of Karatake's malformed face did not cause him to falter a bit.

"You see this face?" Karatake said, a maniacal glow beginning to come over his face as he gradually stepped forward. "Your very own mother did this. Clever of her, right? But Suien should have been mine...she is my sister...she is mine! You and your cursed father took her from me! Cursed be the inuyoukai! You shall die, Sesshoumaru, and my revenge will be sweet indeed!"

_He is insane to the core_, Sesshoumaru thought to himself, but he said nothing. They were at the peak of the Minetetsu, and the top of the dark monolith was rough flat rectangle, offering a perfect place for the final combat. Karatake charged at him, his terrible face in a twisted grin. Sesshoumaru easily evaded the haphazard blows, but the pain in his right wrist was making him lose his coordination.

Finally, Karatake managed to land a strong blow on him that shattered most of the armor on his torso. Sesshoumaru staggered back, but he stood firm, the frown on his face deepening. Suddenly, the conversation he had with his father several days after his mother died replayed itself in his mind.

...o0o...

"_You know very well that they were demons, Sesshoumaru," his father's voice had a sad edge to it. "The bodies they used were of man, but your mother was killed in the hands of a youkai. Do not blame those humans for her death."_

_His reply was cold. "Demons in humans' bodies, they may be, but human bodies they still are. They are nothing but _weak _ningen who are not capable of standing up for themselves. Why spare a thought for such a race?"_

_Inu_ _no Taishou was silent for a while before he asked, "Do you hate humans because of their weakness?"_

_Sesshoumaru doesn't reply and moves away. A single tear then left the Inu no Taishou's eyes as he thinks to himself, "Alas, my beloved Hanazuki, have you truly died indeed?"_

...o0o...

Sesshoumaru then recalled a flash of memory of him as a young one in a moonlit grassland, running towards his mother who had her arms outstretched in his direction. Out of a sudden, the vision became dark and bloodstained as he saw a fleeting vision of Hanazuki's last moments, that which he had never seen before. A spear was stuck to her breast; the dark rocks of the Minetetsu became stained with her blood as she fell into the blackness of the crags.

_Mother, why am I seeing you at a time like this?_ his mind screamed. _Okaa-sama, why?_

Karatake's fist nearly came upon him again, forcing him to focus against his will. Sesshoumaru then decided that he must transform to his true form. That was his last resort. He had Tenseiga, but what is a use of a healing sword against the enemy?

His amber eyes began to change color, his slitted pupils constricting further. A frightful growl left his throat, making Karatake draw back in alarm. Even he was wary of the Inu no Taishou in his true form, and it would be the same with his son. But a soft voice penetrated the boiling state of his mind.

"_Sesshoumaru..."_

_Mother, I am hearing you too..._

Was he going to die now? Then, it took him a few moments to realize that it was _Tenseiga_ _speaking. _The sword was pulsating slightly on its sheath. He had spoken once or twice with Tenseiga when it was absolutely needed, but the voice of the sword was always of the kind that was neither male nor female. But now, that voice began to modulate into something more familiar...into Suien's own speaking voice...as though her own spirit resided within the sword...

A sudden uproar below them made Karatake and Sesshoumaru look to the source of their pandemonium. Flying their way was a dot of many colors that became more and more distinct as it drew nearer. It was Mizutori, her wings flapping gracefully as she flew on the high breezes. There were several persons on her back, but at the very front of them was Kikyou.

...o0o...

Wee...that dang battle scene of Sess and Karatake caused me a quite a headache! But don't you think the part of little Sesshy asking his parents how it feels to kiss to be rather cute? ;P

**Azn kawaii kikyo the devil:** I will really be updating soon! Only two more chapters to go, and I'll be starting school in a few days. Gosh, I really need to write fast! -.-

**The East Wind Melts the Ice:** Darn right, HE needs HER!

**Gossamer Wind:** I really want him to die... -.-

**Eruanne:** Still the lotr fan, eh:D Though there's a certain similarity to the oliphaunt scene and the dragon scene, it's actually a typical (sort of ) battle tactic. Making the enemies kill themselves for you... Hahaha. At least I am sort of happy with the section I ended up with in school...

**Cold Kikyo:** Sesshy and Kiky are about to go together again, yeah!

**Lady Fabmel:** Hope you got my email! Thanks for the review!

**WingedChunsa:** That battle scene tired me out! XP I am glad the next chapter will contain the last of the battles. I am already tired of WARS!


	21. Chapter 20: Tenseiga and Mitsuseki

**XX: The Sword of Heaven and the Radiant Barrier**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after ImotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **The last chapter before the epilogue, yay! I can't believe it's all going to end soon. I'll miss writing about this story! (Sure, I thought it to be a pain in the neck many times, but hey, I managed to finish it, right?) ;P

...o0o...

Kikyou was looking directly below them from her seat on Mizutori's back, searching for any sign of her husband. All that they can see was a pandemonium of shikayoukai and undead minions, and it was rather evident that their allies were starting to be overwhelmed by the masses of undead bodies; they had to kill Karatake quickly.

Mizutori was nearly shot down by several arrows which came from the archers of the Deer Demons who mistook her for an enemy. But Isamu waved down to them with his naginata, and seeing that the leader of their Clan was alive, and not least in their midst, the fervor of the shikayoukai returned. They eagerly put up their offensive, forcing the undead minions out of the narrow canyons and pushing them to their deaths down the deep crevice of the Minetetsu.

The raven-haired young maiden was beginning to panic; Kikyou could not see Sesshoumaru anywhere among the legions. One would think that it would be easy to spot his silver hair amidst the dark tones of the other youkai, but there was not a trace of white anywhere below her. Finally, she realized that she was looking too low.

Kikyou looked forward, towards the peak of the Minetetsu, and her heart skipped several beats. There, indeed, was the unmistakable fair form of her mate, and another youkai with yellow-green hair...no doubt, this one is Karatake.

Sesshoumaru's amber eyes locked with Kikyou's mahogany, and like Kikyou he temporarily forgot the rhythm of breathing. She is alive! Kikyou is alive! It was too good to be true. Even from afar, their passion for each other spilled out of their hearts and it gave them extraordinary joy to gaze upon one another at a crucial time as this.

Karatake was every bit as surprised as Sesshoumaru to see Kikyou, but unlike the silver-haired taiyoukai he was extremely displeased. Why hadn't his minions killed her yet? But it would be wonderful to dispatch of Kikyou before Sesshoumaru's eyes. Just imagining the look that would appear in his nephew's eyes to see his beloved wife killed gave him extraordinary satisfaction.

"Bring that bird down!" Karatake ordered. Sesshoumaru could not grasp who his uncle was giving orders to, as they were too far from his minions to have any of them cater to his demands. His eyes fell on Karatake's shadow, and he got the answer in a few seconds.

Several shadows shaped like humpbacked humans detached themselves from the Moon Elemental's shadow and slid down the Minetetsu. In a few moments, a dragon corpse which lay at the depths of the chasm rose up, given limited movement by the creatures of shadow which Karatake could form out of himself. It was the intact body of one of the two dragons Sesshoumaru had slain earlier, the one he didn't divide in half.

Seeing the rapidly rising form of the undead monster, jaws agape to swallow Mizutori and her riders whole, Sesshoumaru ran forward to come to their rescue, but Karatake stood on his way, blocking his view.

"You shall not help her this time, dear nephew," Karatake said, his fist ready to punch a hole through his adversary's body.

Sesshoumaru leaped backwards, flinching slightly to feel the sharp sting on his right wrist.

"You shall not live for much longer, _dear uncle,_" Sesshoumaru retorted. Amidst his painful injury, his right hand glowed with the potency of _Dokkasou_ and the toxic spray burned through Karatake's right arm. He was not quite able to aim as well as he wished, but at least it somehow got the target. Karatake appeared furious to see that he hadn't fully paralyzed Sesshoumaru of the Toxic Flower Claw, and his attack caught him off-guard.

Meanwhile, on Mizutori, the Umegae, Isamu and Kikyou were immediately putting up their counterattack. Mizutori lithely dodged the undead monster's swipes, and once or twice she pierced through its hide with her beak. Isamu, himself, managed to sever the dragon's spiked tail with his naginata, but the large youkai was undaunted even without its tail.

Kikyou shot one of her remaining intact arrows at the demon, but the dragon swiftly took a sharp turn and avoided the hamaya. The former priestess gave Rin the knife of Hanazuki to hold, so as to somehow keep the dragon at bay. Although the _tsuki_ _no kakera _somehow repelled the youkai for some time, the dragon corpse was no simple minion and it continued to cause them trouble by constantly sending strong drafts of wind that blew Mizutori and Kikyou's arrows off-course.

Then, Umegae had an idea.

"My sister's hair stick, Kikyou! Please give it to me!" she said urgently, clutching a wide-awake but otherwise calm Yanagi in her arms.

Kikyou immediately yielded to the young Queen and handed Kikumo's jade hair stick to her, the one with the chrysanthemum on top. Once she had it, Umegae threw it sharply to the ground with its point down.

The hair stick embedded itself on the rock like a dart, and at once a large vine grew from where it had touched the Minetetsu. Leaves and tendrils lashed out at the sky and wrapped themselves around the dragon. The monster put up a struggle, but the plant was faster. In a few minutes, the dragon was engulfed in the tangle of crushing vines, its wings flapping weakly in a last-ditch effort to break free. But the plants held firm, and the corpse was soon crushed in the manner of a boa constrictor killing its prey.

Kikyou can see that Sesshoumaru was having a hard time holding out against Karatake, and she decided to help him. In this scene of turmoil Kikyou took one of the last arrows from her quiver. She hurriedly wound the fine silver chain of the Mitsuseki around the body of the arrow, but she didn't use it yet. She fished out the last hamaya and fitting it to her bow, Kikyou aimed at where Karatake was cornering Sesshoumaru.

The arrow served its purpose, and Karatake had to take a leap backward to avoid the arrow, forming a distance between him and Sesshoumaru. Then, at that precise moment, Kikyou took the arrow with the Mitsuseki and aimed it near where her husband was standing.

With a twang, the arrow flew at its intended target with the wind screaming behind it. Sesshoumaru stayed where he was, and his wife's arrow embedded itself on the ground near his feet. At once, Tenseiga began to rattle erratically in its sheath. Sesshoumaru instinctively drew the sword with his left hand, his other hand having been injured by Karatake.

_Cleaver of heaven, arise!_

Then, the seemingly featureless jewel that was attached to the arrow unraveled itself from the wood, attracted by a familiar aura emanating from the Sword of Heaven. The Mitsuseki, Radiant Barrier as its name meant, glowed blue as it anticipated the end of its dormancy. It bound itself to the exposed blade of the Tenseiga out of its own will, and the teardrop form melted to encase the shining edge in a blue light.

_With your unwithering sheen,  
Open to their eyes  
The side of the moon unseen..._

Sesshoumaru felt invisible fingers grasping his hand which held the sword, guiding him through the final processes. Motivated by this cryptic instruction, Sesshoumaru leaped forward and swung the Tenseiga in a graceful arc in Karatake's direction.

_The shadow of death foreseen._

At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then a mysterious black crescent appeared behind his uncle and began to draw him in. (1) From their place in the high breezes, Kikyou and her other companions stared in amazement at this new attack. Then, Kikyou remembered that the Mitsuseki's power is to draw things to the Meidou, or the Netherworld. Now, through Tenseiga, Sesshoumaru was able to channel this power, and Karatake is being sucked into the Other Side alive.

Karatake didn't realize what an inescapable fix he was in until it was too late. But he had known that there was something peculiar in the setting for once the blade Healing Fang took on the glowing shade of blue, Sesshoumaru's form grew more and more indistinct to his eyes. Finally, instead of seeing his silver-haired nephew wielding the sword, Karatake's icy eye widened in shock and fear to see the form of an Elemental...an Elemental who bore the mark of a crescent moon...whose silvery eyes pierced through him with a soul-shattering gaze that spoke of his impending doom...the same eyes which belonged to the woman who had captured his desire long ago.

"Suien..." Her name left his throat before he knew it.

She said not a word, but she charged gracefully towards him, the sword poised in attack. Then, it was as though the entire reel of his life was replayed before his very eyes. His first glance at the sun... The first time he encountered his sister and he fell in love with her... How he tried to lay his hands on her and she took out one of his eyes in retaliation... She and the Inu no Taishou embracing... How he killed her with his own hands...

They were all engulfing him. Throughout the Western Lands, the many beings of shadow that lurked in its forests and canyons began to writhe in agony as their power was exhausted with the oncoming death of their master. The Deer Demons near the Minetetsu were surprised to see the undead they were battling to suddenly drop to the ground as though they had never felt the breath of life.

Sesshoumaru saw that he tried to run away from the light of the Mitsuseki at the last moment, but there was no escape from the pull of the Meidou. In a flash, Karatake was taken into the dark crescent, and an unearthly scream split through the air as Sesshoumaru finally understood the worth of the Tenseiga in his mother's will.

With every move that he made to execute the final attack, Sesshoumaru heard many voices and many faces urging him on. His mother... his father... Jaken and Rin... Mizutori...Isamu and his wife, Umegae... countless other youkai that he never knew or knew only slightly... even Kikumo and her parents, Hisano and Azami... They all want him to succeed, and he remained under the spell of their voices even as he touched back down the ground.

"Sesshoumaru!"

The familiar tones of a musical voice were a delight to his ears, making the other voices and faces fade away from his senses. Sesshoumaru opened his eyes, and saw an equally enthralling figure dismounting from a ghostly white bird and running towards him, her arms outstretched.

He called out her name, and his world slowed to a standstill as the distance between him and Kikyou disappeared altogether.

...o0o...

"Kikyou...my Kikyou..." Sesshoumaru muttered repeatedly, pressing her delicate body against his torso with his left arm, his hand still holding on to a glowing Tenseiga. Kikyou was crying, digging her beautiful face close to his chest and her arms encircling him in a possessive embrace.

"I thought for a moment that I would never see you again, anata," Kikyou said between sobs. Oh, it felt so good to be with him! Her love poured out of her body to be absorbed by him...healing and filling in the cracks of his heart and soul.

Isamu, Umegae, Yanagi and Rin dismounted from Mizutori after she touched down on the flat pinnacle of the Peak of Iron, but they kept their distance from the two reunited lovers. Isamu's arm went around Umegae's shoulder, and she leaned against him appreciatively, reliving and experiencing the same joy that now enveloped Sesshoumaru and Kikyou.

"There's no need for tears, dear Kikyou," Sesshoumaru whispered, though deep inside he was crying with tears of joy himself. "I am here..."

Just then, a great light opened up in the heavens, making all of them look up at the splendor of the signs in the sky. There were many forms that looked like clouds, but gradually, they took on a more distinct shape and their outlines became clearer. They turned out to be spirits, the souls of long-dead persons temporarily granted to take on the living form they had on earth.

"_My beloved son..."_

Sesshoumaru and Kikyou looked at the direction of the voice. Rising like a misty wraith was Suien's spirit, from the depths of the chasm from where she had died. They were to learn later that the Lady of the Tsukisawa appeared as a formless fog to the others besides them, but now it didn't matter. A smile was on Suien's face... the first true smile they had seen in many a long time.

"Hahagimi..." Sesshoumaru whispered, nearly overwhelmed by the emotions of having to see his long-dead mother, if only in spirit.

"_I am proud of you, Sesshoumaru," _she said, her voice echoing clearly in their minds. "_You are one of the greatest things that ever happened to me... You have grown into a fine young man; and knowing that, I have no regrets...I can finally be with your father."_

Sesshoumaru wasn't pleased at the thought that she would go after a few words. There are so many things he would like to tell her... so many apologies to be said for being an unsatisfactory son at some points... so many questions to ask...

"Mother..." but no other words would come out of his mouth.

Suien's eyes looked deeply into her son's eyes, and they found themselves recalling every moment they had spent with each other...as well as the lessons they taught one another.

"_You have Kikyou, my son. Be loyal to her, for there are things that only she can show you...can teach you. I am not the only woman in your life, Sesshoumaru. I may be your only mother, but as far as love goes, my reach only goes thus far. Love your wife and your child with all your soul, and you shall keep my memory alive."_

Her voice became softer, more detached, as the misty form floated higher and higher up into the sky. Tears once more welled up in Kikyou's eyes to see a most heart-trending vision in the heavens. Illuminated by the light of the sun, Suien held the Sou'unga on her hands, and behind her another form materialized to embrace her around her waist.

The Inu no Taishou held his beloved close, and she nuzzled her face against him. All these years he had been waiting for this moment when he can finally be with her again. Suien's death had not stopped him from loving her, and not even Izayoi had dimmed that love he had for his first wife alone.

Sesshoumaru felt his body going weak at the intensity of the vision...how his heart reached out to his parents...and he found himself leaning against Kikyou for support. She supported him lovingly, obviously caught up in the same emotions as he. Suien and the Inu no Taishou...they were together now.

But Sesshoumaru's mother and father were not the only ones up there. Lingering nearby were the spirits of two Shikayoukai, a male and a female, bearing strong resemblances to Umegae and Kikumo. They were Hisano and Azami, close companions to the Taishou and the Lady of the Tsukisawa. Tears streamed down Mizutori's eyes. The heron youkai was made fully aware of the fact that she was the only remaining living member of the close circle of friends they used to form.

"Mother, Father!" Umegae cried out, walking a few steps away from her other companions, looking up at the mother and father which she had never set her eyes upon since she was born. She was filled with the same joy and sadness of a child beholding her parents for the first time.

"_Umegae, my girl," _Azami said softly, her eyes looking upon the daughter which she never survived to raise by herself. "_Your father and mother love you very much and we are sorry for not being there for you. You hold a special place in our hearts just like your sister, Kikumo."_

At the mention of her older sister, Umegae searched the sky trying to find the spirit of Kikumo among those present, but she found her not.

"Where is Oneesama?" The answer Hisano gave her was the most shocking of all.

"_Young Umegae, the soul of your sister has been reincarnated in the child you now hold in your hands."_

Yanagi began to squirm in Umegae's arms, the emerald eyes looking up with childish innocence at her mother's astounded face. It all made sense then, about what happened beside the river Minorikawa...and in Sesshoumaru's point of view, what Kikumo's vision meant all along. _She had been with Kikyou all this time. _Literally and figuratively.

Having answered the last question, the great brightness of them heavens began to be drawn back, taking the spirits with it. As the final vestiges of the mysterious apparitions vanished, Tenseiga also lost its glow and the Mitsuseki, dormant once more, slipped from the blade of the sword and fell with a little tinkle on the ground beneath their feet.

...o0o...

_We are really home, _Kikyou thought to herself, walking into their sleeping quarters and letting what remained of her miko weapons fall from her hands. There had been many partings, and her farewell to Umegae, Isamu and the now doubly special Yanagi were especially tearful. They had taken care of her and Rin with their lives throughout the duration of the one-week war, and such was something that Kikyou could not easily forget.

Umegae had winked at her, saying, "Of course this won't be our last meeting, Kikyou. I made a promise to help birth your little one, didn't I?" Kikyou had laughed good-naturedly in reply.

After finding Jaken safe among the good number of shikayoukai that had survived the war, Kikyou retrieved Kikumo's hair stick from where it still lay stuck in the rock. She smiled as she put it back in her sleeve, knowing she had finally managed to see the importance of the Demon Princess' relic.

Then, Mizutori had offered to take them back to Sesshoumaru's fortress on the wing, and to Kikyou's surprise, her husband consented. He wouldn't normally allow lower youkai to help him in any way, for he disliked having to be indebted to them. But they ended up doing that anyway, and Rin waved goodbye to her newfound friends among the Deer Demons as Isamu prepared to lead the remnants of his army back to the Borderlands.

Sesshoumaru's silent, almost indiscernible footsteps drove Kikyou from her musings. She turned to meet her husband, but her smile soon gave way to a frown to see something like a look of pain in Sesshoumaru's eyes.

"What is wrong, darling?" she asked, gently running her hands over his cheeks and looking up with a concerned expression. "Oh, I know. You must be thinking of Okaa-sama. I will miss her too, but it's a comforting thought that she is now happy with Otou-sama..."

"It's not about hahagimi, Kikyou," Sesshoumaru said softly, which served only to increase Kikyou's confusion. What pains her mate so? Her fingers gently inspected the long scratch marring his fair cheek, but the wound was quickly disappearing thanks to Sesshoumaru's full youkai healing ability. Did he suffer any more wounds that needed her aid?

Kikyou discovered his injury by accident. She reached out to grasp his right hand, and a hiss of pain left Sesshoumaru's lips at once. It then occurred to her that he avoided using that hand of his throughout the trip, and he was a little more silent than usual.

Her healer instincts fully awake now, Kikyou gently took his arm and pushed the silken sleeve away. Only a little pressure from her fingers was enough to make his wrist smart. Kikyou gasped; Sesshoumaru must have been in pain the whole time...

"Oh my," she found herself saying, running her fingers as tenderly as possible over his wrist to check on the state of the bones beneath. "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier, Sesshoumaru?"

"I don't wish you to worry, koi," he said under his breath, but Kikyou wouldn't accept such an explanation. She retrieved their futon from where they kept it before going away and laid it out on the floor. Then, she made him sit on the soft cushion telling him to wait a while so she can prepare the necessary materials.

"Now, Kikyou, you don't need to be so fully alarmed-" Sesshoumaru tried to say, but Kikyou cut him off at once with a glare.

"Sesshoumaru-_sama_, do keep your mouth shut for a moment and let me attend to you," she said. Kikyou didn't intend to use such brash words on him, but the statements formed on her tongue before she could help it. "I won't have you walking around with your wrist like that. Allow me to help you for this moment, okay?"

Now waiting for his reply, Kikyou left the room. Sesshoumaru was speechless. She didn't intend to really do it, right? His pregnant wife, nursing his injury... Kikyou might overexert herself and their child would have to pay the price, but the thought of her staying by his side sounded like a wonderful idea...

Kikyou reappeared, carrying a small bowl of lukewarm water in one hand and several clean cloths on the other. Setting these objects beside the futon, she took from one of her sleeves a packet of dried herbs and put laid it with the others. Then, Kikyou knelt by her husband's side and told him to take his right sleeve off.

Sesshoumaru's incredulous amber orbs widened.

"Kikyou?" he said, making sure he heard her instructions correctly.

Kikyou let out a sigh at his naivety. Realizing that they probably won't get anywhere staring at each other, she placed her hands on his collar and began to pull his haori open. Sesshoumaru was at a loss for words; he honestly didn't think that Kikyou would really keep her words and undress him. He tried to push her hands away, but she gave him an irritated look.

"Why, Sesshoumaru, I've seen you much more naked than this," she chastised, trying to sound annoyed, but she can hardly keep from grinning to see her husband turn redder than a tomato. "You don't have to be so shy about it now!" To spare him from more embarrassment, she just bared his right arm and the right half of his chest, lifting his furry pelt away from the shoulder.

"I don't see why you should torture me so, Kikyou," Sesshoumaru groaned, but she only laughed. Kikyou then asked him to give him her arm so she can alleviate the pain for now.

Reluctantly, he acquiesced. But so gently, so lovingly did she handle his painful injury that Sesshoumaru soon lost himself in the quiet beauty of Kikyou as she deftly crushed the herbs in her fingers and mixed in a little water to form a pungent paste. This smelly mixture, she rubbed on to his wrist.

Sesshoumaru had tried to withdraw his hand from her, flinching at the pain. But Kikyou held him firm.

"I see that you are a stranger to things like this," Kikyou said, holding his rigid hand in a firm but otherwise comforting grip as she rubbed in generous amounts of the crushed herbs on the skin of his wrist. "But you have to sacrifice a little, anata, or you would be in even worse pain."

"Is my hand going to be all right?" Sesshoumaru asked, managing to keep a straight face.

"Oh, I'm sure it will," Kikyou said quickly. "Thank goodness you didn't break any bones. I'm sure it's just a bad sprain, and you will recover in a few weeks' time. Though being a youkai, you might even do it in half the time... But how did you get this injury, Sesshoumaru?"

"My wretched uncle did it," Sesshoumaru said bitterly, and a snarl left his throat as Kikyou touched the tender spot a little more roughly than before.

Kikyou immediately muttered an apology and proceeded to be extra-careful in dealing with her pained mate.

"I am sorry, Sesshoumaru, but this is how it has to be," she said, still rubbing the herbs on his skin. "Umegae taught me a thing or two about these painkillers, and it will be worth the torture once the effect takes in. You may not be able to gain full use of your wrist for several days, but at least without the pain..."

True enough, a numbing quality began to spread through his joint, and he was able to flex his fingers more easily as the pain dulled. Kikyou's lips broke into a satisfied smile. She then took a cloth and wiped off the remnants of the tiny pieces of dried leaf from his skin. Tucking several locks of her long hair behind one ear, she held his hand close to her lips and kissed his wrist affectionately, as though to add a touch of her own magic to aid in his healing.

Sesshoumaru found himself grinning, and he gradually withdrew his hand from Kikyou to make her look at him. Once her mahogany eyes met his amber oculars, Sesshoumaru leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. Kikyou closed her eyes and kissed him back, realizing how much she missed his caresses. Once they finished with the lip-lock, she rested her body against him, and his uninjured arm went about her.

"I know it is wrong of me to thank Karatake for hurting you like this," Kikyou said, a pleased rumble emanating from her throat as Sesshoumaru ran his fingers through her long hair. "But I never had the opportunity to care for you like this before. Being a full youkai, you don't seem to need me to help you with your wounds."

"Oh yes, I do," Sesshoumaru replied, planting a kiss on the crown of her fragrant tresses. "There is only one person who can heal the wounds of my heart, and that person is you, darling Kikyou."

"Anything you say, love," Kikyou said with a chuckle, rubbing her face against the bare skin of his neck. Then, she caught sight of numerous black-and-blue bruises marring his torso. The largest was as wide as her thumbprint. Alas, he was more injured than he admitted. "You'll need medication on some of those..."

Sesshoumaru was about to say that he didn't need anything for the bruises, as they were minor unlike the sprain and they would heal in no time, but the concerned look in Kikyou's face as she examined his wounds undid him completely.

"I can take care of them on my own," he whispered.

"Making a liar out of me, beloved?" Kikyou said, winking at him. In no time at all, she was staunching the discolored spots with the same herb infusion she had used earlier. This time, Sesshoumaru willingly let her, obviously enjoying her attention.

Finally, after she finished treating the last of the bruises, Sesshoumaru began to tickle her on the waist. Kikyou's eyes creased as she giggled at the sensation, and soon they were rolling playfully on the floor, laughing as they never had before.

"Kikyou-sama, will you-" Rin called out, peering into the room, but seeing the former priestess pinned beneath the shirtless form of her lord, the little girl automatically put her hands over her eyes and said hurriedly, "Oops, Rin is sorry! Rin didn't know you were doing something!"

Sesshoumaru and Kikyou turned red at once at the possible thoughts of their adopted daughter seeing them at a time like this. The silver-haired Demon Prince took his weight away from the raven-haired young maiden and helped her sit up.

"Oh Rin, I promised you indeed that we would walk in the garden today," Kikyou said, hurriedly fixing her wrinkled garbs. "Just give me a minute and I will be there."

...o0o...

Sesshoumaru didn't usually walk in the garden with the females, choosing instead to watch them from the shade of the verandah where Jaken was now dozing. But now was an exception, and he found himself assisting Kikyou as she began to prune the trees and pluck away several withered flowers from their boughs.

The former miko laughed pleasantly to see the normally indifferent Demon Lord allowing Rin to sit on his shoulders so she can pick a ripe pear dangling from a branch too high for her to reach. Kikyou was worried that he would further damage his wrist, but she felt her fears quickly vanishing to see the amused look in Sesshoumaru's face as he put Rin down.

As Rin began to scamper the grounds eating the pear as she played, Kikyou stood beside Sesshoumaru and rested her head on his shoulder, watching the little girl. Her mate then shifted slightly, making her look at him. Sesshoumaru was smiling at her, and to Kikyou's astonishment he fastened a delicate silver chain around her neck, its jeweled pendant resting on her chest.

"The Mitsuseki..." Kikyou whispered, fingering the clear gem which glistened like a drop of pure crystal. She raised her mahogany eyes, trying to read his intentions. "Why are you giving this to me, Sesshoumaru?"

"I really wonder why the sources of our troubles always have to be in these inanimate jewels," Sesshoumaru said, clearly citing reference from the Shikon no Tama. "But the Mitsuseki shall be yours as a token of my love, the way you have given me this as a symbol of our bond." Kikyou saw that he fingered the white cloth of her hair tie, the one that she had given him many years before. He had kept it all along...

"Oh Sesshy darling," Kikyou said, hugging him fully. Sesshoumaru chuckled as he hugged her back. She would call him by a shortened form of his name as a term of endearment, and he had grown to like that throughout the years.

A ray of sunlight penetrated the leaves of the orchard, falling directly on their faces. Kikyou looked up, surprised at the sudden burst of light. It was a clear day in the rainy season, _satsukibare_ as the Japanese call such instance. It was more than perfect to depict their happiness.

"I wonder how our baby is faring in your womb," Sesshoumaru said, gently caressing the growing lump on his mate's abdomen. As though to answer him, the child gave a kick as a sign that he was fine.

Kikyou giggled. Only five months more...they can wait until then. They picked a comfortable spot beside the stream and they sat themselves on the grass, admiring the beauty of the late summer's day. They had gone through so much in a mere sevenday, and there is so much to tell.

...o0o...

Additional story notes:

(1) _The dark crescent attack _- **(Massive manga spoilers!)** I derived this move from a true attack of Sesshoumaru, which is featured in the later manga only, that which reaches beyond the animated series. This attack, **_Meidou_** **_Zangetsuha_** (forgot the translation), is exclusive to Tenseiga.

The nature of Meidou Zangetsuha is much like what I described in my story: it draws the enemy to the Meidou (Underworld) by means of an inescapable dark crescent (but once Sesshoumaru masters the attack, it will already assume the shape of a full moon circle). Probably his most powerful attack so far, if you ask me.

Toukijin was destroyed (yeah, do you think I was really making it all up?) during the later manga chapters (not telling you how ;P), and Tenseiga was reforged, enabling Sesshoumaru to use it as a weapon of battle, thus bringing forth the Meidou Zangetsuha. (But the trademark of Tenseiga to be able to save 100 lives with 1 swing is retained. Pretty cool, huh?)

* * *

Review replies can be read next chapter! 


	22. Epilogue: Undying Legacy

**Epilogue: Undying Legacy**

**Author: **Nefertili

**Fandom: **Inuyasha

**Rating: **PG13

**Pairing(s): **Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

**Genre(s): **Romance, Angst, AU, Action

**Warning(s): **More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Two years after ImotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

**A/N: **Ah, the last chapter, finally! This will be shorter than the previous ones, but who cares? The ending will be the ending...only this is set five months later.

...o0o...

The maple trees looked glorious in their autumn foliage, and with every gust of wind a fresh spray of the brightly-colored leaves scattered themselves around the place. Some fell on the stream, where they joined their fellow autumn debris in a journey further down the current. Most found their resting place among the well-kept grass, where they became unwanted litter and would have to be picked up later.

But a single _momiji_ leaf, bright-yellow veined and glowing scarlet, somehow found its way into a room of the fortress, finding rest on the soft folds of a blanket swathed over Kikyou's form. Sesshoumaru's clawed fingers plucked the leaf from the blanket and laid it aside. Kikyou appeared to be asleep, but at her husband's gesture she opened her eyes, revealing alert mahogany oculars.

"Is it painful, darling?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly, gently wiping away the sweat that formed on Kikyou's forehead.

"Oh, there is pain," Kikyou whispered, shifting uncomfortably on the futon. But amidst her growing discomfort, she smiled more to herself than anything. "But it is nothing that I cannot endure..."

Sesshoumaru's exterior was calm as always, but his hand was trembling as he clutched at Kikyou's pale fingers which stuck out from beneath the white coverlet. Her eyes flitted to her husband's face in a loving gesture, and she affectionately squeezed his hand.

"I am all right, really," she said softly, trying to reassure him.

Sesshoumaru didn't answer, but he gave a terse nod with his lips pursed slightly, his amber eyes gazing at the showy lump on Kikyou's belly. It had been several hours now that he sat loyally by her side, giving her whatever support he can. She had been extremely restless all morning, and by noon it became clear that her labor had started.

A flurry of excitement had at once overwhelmed the Demon Lord's household, and Sesshoumaru seemed to be even more worried than Kikyou was. She was smiling throughout the time, a look of utter serenity in her face, whilst he, the Lord of the Western Lands, was caught up with nervousness and was constantly hovering near her like an ever-vigilant guard dog.

He was clueless as to what steps to take for his mate on the verge of delivering a child. What should they do? Was it wise for Kikyou to do this and that? Is there anything he can give Kikyou to make her feel better? His concern was touching; Kikyou told him that she had requested the help of Queen Umegae of the Shikayoukai in this matter, and had said that she must come now.

Obedient to his wife's wishes, Sesshoumaru sent Jaken off at once to the Realm of the Deer Demons to summon Umegae, just as he had summoned Isamu five months earlier.

Now that the long-awaited day had come, Sesshoumaru knew he ought to be rejoicing, but he can hardly shake off the sense of dread that something equally terrible might happen. Even though her wisdom was far beyond her years, Kikyou's body was just like that of any young woman, and it was her first time to experience labor and birth.

Neither she nor Sesshoumaru was sure of what the outcome will be. Coupled with the joy of expecting their first baby, Sesshoumaru knew he could lose her or his child, maybe even both. He knew he must be prepared for all the possible outcomes.

Kikyou's labor progressed steadily. By the time the young Queen herself finally arrived, along with her husband and their five-month old daughter, the pain had increased so much that Kikyou can hardly keep from screaming.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, is Kikyou-sama doing okay?" Rin entered the room, rubbing her hands together with worry.

But before Sesshoumaru can say a word, the gentle tapping on the screens revealed that their visitors had arrived. Led by Jaken, Umegae, wearing a subdued yet otherwise beautiful kimono of pastels, briskly entered the room and bowed to Sesshoumaru. Kikyou's eyes fluttered open as she gave a weak greeting to her friend whom she hadn't seen in a long time.

"It's really nice to see you all again," Umegae said with a smile. But the healer in her already told her to go into action, and she promptly began to arrange the healer's materials she had brought with her on the mats. Sesshoumaru asked her if she was going to need anything else.

"Rest assured, Sesshoumaru-sama," she replied. "I have brought the essentials, but just in case Kikyou needs something, I will immediately tell you." Then, she said her next words in a more humble tone, lest she incur his temper. "If you wouldn't mind, milord, I would ask you all to leave the room. She might become more stressed if she is surrounded by many people."

Sesshoumaru was more relieved about this than he admitted. Though he would very much like to stay with Kikyou throughout her ordeal, he had to admit that he might further lose control of his emotions to see her crying. Besides, he wouldn't want Kikyou to lose her strength of will to see her husband so worried about her.

Leaning his head close against hers, Sesshoumaru spared a few loving words for Kikyou before he stood up to leave, and he was temporarily eased by the smile that she gave him.

"I will see you later, okay?" she called out, and he nodded in assurance. But as far as she tried to hide her pained screams, her strength finally gave way; Sesshoumaru's ears twitched at the heart-wrenching sound as he shut the screens behind him.

_Kikyou, I know you'll survive this; you _have _to..._

"Isamu-sama!" Rin called out happily, embracing the legs of the silent figure on the verandah. Sesshoumaru found himself looking at the coal-black eyes of the other taiyoukai as he stepped out of the shadows.

"Hi there, Rin-chan," Isamu said congenially. He smiled down at the little girl, but he couldn't hug her back because he was holding a cooing Yanagi in his arms. The Demon Princess, whom they now understood to be the reincarnation of the Flower of the Deer Clan, had grown much in the course of the months.

Her parents had allowed her fawn hair to grow as long as her shoulders and she had grown quite chubby even if her teeth were not fully developed yet. She had quite an aptitude for words, for even if she had a hard time pronouncing names, she could identify many objects if she saw them. When her curious emerald eyes caught sight of Sesshoumaru, she lisped a word which sounded like 'pretty,' pointing a stubby finger at the silver-haired taiyoukai.

"What did she say?" Sesshoumaru asked in spite of himself, stepping near Isamu and gazing intently at the baby.

"She says you are handsome, Sesshoumaru-sama," Isamu said, barely suppressing an amused grin. "Would you like to carry her, milord?"

Sesshoumaru could not help but think, _that's Kikumo, indeed. _But as to carrying a baby...alas, it seems wielding a sword is much easier.

"How do you do it?" he asked in a whisper, as though he was afraid others will take it against him. But he had to know at least _something _about raising a baby to prepare for the coming of his firstborn. Luckily, Isamu was very helpful and didn't snigger at his former ally as he uncertainly held Yanagi, feeling clumsy indeed.

"Don't worry, she's not as fragile as she looks," Isamu said.

Yanagi was clearly more than a delicate bundle; she was an active one too! Sesshoumaru was afraid that he might drop her because her tiny hands eagerly touched his face and curiously felt his nose, his ears and his hair. And when Yanagi began to pull at his silvery locks, Isamu finally interceded and gently pried the small fingers open.

"Why Yanagi-chan, you naughty girl!" Isamu said with jest, taking his daughter from Sesshoumaru with a look of apology. "No pulling of Sesshoumaru-sama's hair!"

"She's just a child," Sesshoumaru found himself saying. Why he was being so unusually kind at a time like this, he didn't know. But as he gazed at the lovely burst of color in his maple trees, he knew that it was a perfect time for his firstborn to come to the world. "Are the Borderlands doing fine?"

"As fine as they can be," Isamu replied. "We have rebuilt our fortress, and perhaps you might want to visit us sometime. Maybe your child can be playmates with Yanagi here."

Sesshoumaru glanced at the little demoness in Isamu's arms. He knew he couldn't keep his own children and Kikyou from the eyes of others forever. They would need some socializing as well, and they are welcome to shikayoukai as long as the memory of Kikumo lives on.

It was quite an uneasy and impatient wait for the child to be born. Sesshoumaru peeked in on his wife many times, and he was assured by Umegae that things are going fine. She had given Kikyou some sort of drug to dull the pain, and the young maiden's previously erratic breathing began to be more relaxed. Jaken, Isamu and Rin tried to offer words of encouragement to the Demon Lord that Kikyou will be all right, but nothing could probably ease his nerves until he can hold his own child in his arms and see that his mate still drew breath at the same time.

Kikyou's labor must have begun early in the morning, but she had only fully realized it by midday. Finally by midafternoon, the cries of a newborn began to echo around the corridors. There was an immediate rush to enter Kikyou's quarters, but Umegae got out first, carrying a tiny screaming baby swaddled in blankets. The Shikayoukai Queen's face was sweaty, but she had a wide smile on her face.

"You have a little boy, Sesshoumaru-sama," Umegae said brightly, holding out the little hanyou for his father.

Sesshoumaru gratefully took the boy child in his arms. His son was still glistening with amniotic fluid, crying fit to summon the dead from hell. The newly born half-demon still had his eyes tightly shut, but beneath the thin layer of blood Sesshoumaru can make out a crescent moon identical to his own mark on the forehead of his child.

The baby's cheeks also had markings, but unlike Sesshoumaru's there was only one jagged stripe on each cheek, much like that of the late Inu no Taishou's only they were magenta. The few strands of hair growing on his head were silvery, but his ears were the proof of his part human heritage: they were not pointy like his father's. Not that it mattered at any case; Sesshoumaru could only look at his child with pride and adoration, thankful that such a precious gift had been granted to him.

"Can Rin see him, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin begged, standing on her tiptoes to take a look at her stepbrother. Sesshoumaru knelt down slightly and allowed his adopted daughter and their toady retainer to exclaim over the baby, their reactions mirroring his delight. Isamu congratulated Sesshoumaru, at the same time sparing his wife a look of contentment. Clearly, they understood how it felt to hold one's firstborn.

Finally, after the first wave of excitement had died down, Sesshoumaru stood up once more, still carrying his child.

"And Kikyou?" he asked, clutching the now quieting bundle close to his chest.

"The Lady Kikyou is all right, Sesshoumaru-sama," Umegae said. "She is now sleeping, recovering her strength."

Sesshoumaru let out a sigh of relief. It was a miracle, indeed. Mother and child were both alive. It was too good to be true. Afterwards, Umegae took the newborn once again so she can wash the baby and wrap him in clean blankets to protect him from the cold of autumn. A trace of a smile was on Sesshoumaru's lips all the time, for he never felt so happy in weeks.

Finally, once all the primary tasks of washing and warming the baby were done, Umeage once more handed the child to his father. Shortly afterwards, she, Isamu and Yanagi told Sesshoumaru that they would take their leave now. Rin tried to dissuade them, saying that they ought to stay until Kikyou-sama wakens, but the Royal family was needed among the shikayoukai and they couldn't stay long.

"We will visit you some time soon, little Rin-chan," Isamu said. Turning to his own little Yanagi, he said, "Say bye-bye to them, Yanagi-chan." Yanagi made a cross of a sweeping movement with her arm and a close-open gesture of fingers as her form of farewell, and Rin laughed.

"We left something for Kikyou beside the futon," Umegae said, hugging her baby close. "She will be happy to have it back. Farewell for now, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Having said their final greetings, they departed in a whoosh of the wind.

...o0o...

Sesshoumaru sat beside his sleeping mate, cradling their son in his arms. By now, night had fallen and a full moon shone clearly in the sky. The previously blood-stained sheets of the futon were now replaced by crisp white sheets which beautifully reflected the light of the lamp nearby. The newly born hanyou began to suck at its thumb, and his father moved quickly to gently ease the finger out of the baby's mouth.

_Let's wait until your mother wakes, _he thought, tenderly rubbing his fingers against his child's hands. Sesshoumaru was thinking of what to name him, but he would like to know Kikyou's opinion for that matter. The baby then let out a cute yawn and snuggled up to his father to sleep.

Sesshoumaru smiled and stroked the young one's cheek with the back of his hand. Then, his eyes fell on the packet wrapped with paper and bound with twine sitting beside Kikyou's head. It was the little something Umegae had left for Kikyou, but he wouldn't dare open it without his wife's consent.

At that moment, Kikyou stirred, her mahogany eyes blinking once before coming fully awake. She was relieved to see her mate close by, and she soon turned ecstatic when her eyes fell on the bundle he was carrying.

"Oh darling, can I take him?" she said, sitting up and smiling at Sesshoumaru. He immediately gave in to her, and carefully handed over the tiny baby to its mother. Kikyou hugged their son close, kissing the moon on his forehead in a motherly fashion. Sesshoumaru had to admit that it was a very beautiful sight to behold, his human mate carrying their hanyou child.

Sesshoumaru moved beside Kikyou, placing his arm around her. She leaned against her beloved, thankful for his warmth.

"They have left you something, Kikyou," Sesshoumaru said, pointing to the paper-wrapped package on the mats.

"Will you please open it for me, Sesshy?" Kikyou replied with a smile. "My hands are kind of full now..."

Sesshoumaru nodded and he took the object from the floor. It was soft to the touch, and once he untied the strings and opened the paper wrappings, they stared in amazement at the blue robe folded neatly inside. It was the bellflower-patterned one, Kikyou's favorite that had been in the keeping of Umegae since they fled Karatake's minions months earlier.

"How did this get into their hands?" Sesshoumaru asked, fingering the beautiful fabric. He had given Kikyou the robe when they first settled in the Western Lands.

"I lent it to Umegae because we had nothing to wrap Yanagi when we fled their fortress," Kikyou explained, happy that her lost clothing had been returned to her. "That's really thoughtful of them."

Sesshoumaru then explained that the robe was originally made for his mother. But she had only worn it for a short time before she died. Kikyou was surprised that she had been wearing something that once belonged to her beautiful mother-in-law, and she fingered the doubly precious cloth in her hands with renewed reverence. Their son gave a little sneeze, diverting the two young parents' attention.

"What shall we name him, koi?"Sesshoumaru whispered, his eyes never leaving his sleeping son.

"Hmm..." Kikyou said, as she thought deeply. "Do you have a suggestion, anata?"

In no time at all, they were playing around with plenty of possible names. But they could not find a proper name, or at least one that they both agreed upon. Finally, Kikyou combined the word for star with the next word that appeared in Sesshoumaru's mind. The Japanese graph _hoshi_ means star; affixed with the other word _kane_ which could literally mean money. But a more romantic interpretation signifies wealth; thus, a rough translation of _Hoshikane_ is 'star-wealth' or 'wealth from the stars.'

"Hoshikane...quite a mouthful for our child," Kikyou said, but as she went over the name in her mind she decided that she liked it. "But I think it's quite lovely. Do you approve, Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru was also pleased with the choice. "A fitting name for our son, indeed."

Kikyou sighed contentedly, gently rocking their baby back and forth. "Little Hoshi-kun..." Hoshikane had already gone through so much action in his mother's womb...running after enemies, being with Kikyou as she ventured into the once-lost Tsukisawa...he was one lucky boy to be still alive. "If only Okaa-sama stayed for a little longer so she can at least gaze upon her grandson..."

"Hahagimi doesn't need to be here for us to feel her presence," Sesshoumaru replied softly, kissing his wife gently. "She lives in us...in our child...we are her undying legacy."

Kikyou understood. From the slightly open screens, a ray of moonlight stole in.

"We could visit the Tsukisawa some time, Sesshoumaru. There is a wonderful land out there that Mother left behind for us..."

In the distance, a single shinidamachuu flew across the moon, its violet eyes glistening as it floated out of sight.

...o0o...

_Hoshikane_ _grew up to be a great leader, well-respected far and wide, adored by his father and mother. Under the guidance of Sesshoumaru and Kikyou, his skill with the sword, combined with the bow and arrow, grew unmatched in the Western Lands. It has been said that he hardly looked like a hanyou at all; many didn't know that he had a human for a mother, because he had a good hold of the powers of his lineage and was able to master them well. _

_Many attribute his skills to the Mitsuseki which used to belong to his grandmother Suien, and afterwards his father and mother. Though it is clear that the jewel kept his youkai blood at bay, it was never clear how he managed to become so powerful._

_Hoshikane_ _found love in the Princess Yanagi of the Deer Clan, who grew up in the image of the person she was reincarnated from. Thus, they were finally able to fuse together the inuyoukai and shikayoukai: a long-time wish of Inu no Taishou and Suien which Sesshoumaru and Kikumo in her first life were not able to fulfill. But more importantly, Kikumo's lonely soul finally found its match and was granted lasting happiness with the inu hanyou._

_Thus ends the Arc of Satsukibare: A Clear Day in the Rainy Season._

...o0o...

Behind the scenes:

(1) Here's a list of the following characters and the persons they were based upon:

**Hanazuki/Suien** - Midoriko, Tomoe Yukishiro (Rurouni Kenshin) and Tomoe Gozen (a real Japanese semi-mythical, semi-historical figure; she's one of the few ever recorded female samurai)  
**Umegae** - Sayo Amakusa (Rurouni Kenshin)  
**Isamu** - reverse Sesshoumaru ;P  
**Mizutori** - a mixture of Jaken (O.o) and Kirara  
**Karatake** - (more on looks only) Hikitsu (a Genbu star warrior from Fushigi Yuugi)

(2) I based the Lands of the Shikayoukai on the Huang Shan mountain range of the Anhui province of China. If you want to see my illustrations, please visit my website, Satsukibare (link is in profile).

(3) FYI, Hoshikane has amber eyes. If you want me to write a one-shot about him and Yanagi, please let me know. ;P

(4) I have a planned one-shot in mind under the title **You Will Find Him**. It is SessxOC, specifically SessxKiku and reverse IMotC. Would things have been different between the inuyoukai and the shikayoukai fifty years ago if Sesshy wasn't that cold-hearted towards Kikumo? But don't expect any story uploads soon, as here goes school for me... -.-

* * *

Gosh, this is the end, right? I'll oh so miss this story, this fanfic arc in particular. The Satsukibare arc marked my Inuyasha ficwriting debut, and it has become a part of my life. It's like letting go of an old friend, but sometimes we just have to let go... TT To all those who read this story: thank you for being with me from the very start to the epilogue. 

**The East Wind Melts the Ice:** Kiky taking care of Sesshy is nice, right? ;P

**Gossamer Wind:** Karatake's dead, FINALLY!

**WingedChunsa:** Ask and you shall receive. ;P Plenty SesshKik moments before the ending, ne?

**Azn kawaii kikyo the devil:** I wish I can write more about Sesshy's childhood, but my schedule tells me NO!

**Cold Kikyo:** It's done, finally...after all those days of endless waiting. ;.;

* * *

_This story is dedicated to the person who gave the chrysanthemum a second life and opened a window to the unseen side of the moon:_

Aldebaran, _though a chasm now lies between us, thank you very much._

* * *


End file.
